A Journey in Truth and Love

Dear Friends,

It is with deep reflection on what is best in my own life, and assessing my personal spiritual needs, that I have decided to delete my Livejournal account. It has been truly wonderful and such a great blessing to get to know each of you to some degree, and some of you have become very dear to my own heart. The main reason I am doing this is simply the amount of time I spend here. I suppose I have an addictive personality, and with the communal nature of Livejournal, the constant friends updates to check, I just find myself spending an inordinate amount of time online. For anyone who is interested, I do maintain two mirror blogs over at blogspot, psalm46-11.blogspot.com and 2Tim316.blogspot.com. The first is where I do my regular theological and spiritual musings, including the Theology of the Body posts, and the second is simply devoted to the Daily Reflections on the Liturgy. The difference with those blogs, and why I am going to continue them, is because with them it is very easy to just make a post and then leave it alone, thus not sucking in all of my time.

Many of you I will certainly miss, and always feel free to keep in contact via e-mail, augustinianheart@gmail.com. You will all remain forever in my prayers.

Grace and peace in Christ,
Michael

So, while I would never actually do it, many, many times I feel called to the cloistered monastic life. I'm thinking this summer of doing a week long silent retreat here, the monastery where Thomas Merton was. Honestly, if I wasn't so attached to my family, and with the responsibility of two godchildren, I would seriously, seriously give that vocation consideration.

Today's readings for the Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time are from Deut 11:18,26-28,32, Ps 31:2-4,17,25, Rom 3:21-25,28, Matt 7:21-27.

Today's readings have a wonderful synergy about them, as they collectively speak to the Christian about the role of the law in his or her life. Moses tells us in the first reading from Deuteronomy that the law is both a blessing and a curse: a blessing if it is obeyed, and a curse if it is discarded. Before the coming of Christ and the justification that His death and resurrection brought to all who have a living faith in Him, the righteousness of a man was judged only by his observance of the law. But as Christ pointed out time and again throughout the Gospel, a mere external observance of the law does not lead to the inward renewal of the Spirit that is necessary to be reconciled to God. Through a living faith in Christ, our spirits are renewed, and we receive the righteousness of God not by externally observing what the LORD commands, but by heeding the words of Moses and "taking these words into your heart and soul." We must not only hear the word and observe it, but we must receive the Word into our heart and soul and be renewed internally, allowing Christ to reconcile us to God, and allowing the Spirit to sanctify us and make us holy.

St. Paul tells us that the righteousness of God is manifest apart from the law, but that it is testified to by the law and the prophets. What we see here is a reversal of order from the Old Covenant to the New. Under the Old Covenant one observed the law so as to be brought close to God. Under the New Covenant of reconciliation through faith in Christ, one is brought close to God and then made righteous. We are justified freely by the grace of God and the merits of Christ, and it is not the works of the law that brings this justification, but rather a living faith which manifests the law in our hearts. In establishing the New Covenant in His Precious Blood, Christ fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts (Jer 31:33). It is through Christ alone, the new Moses, that we may fulfill the exhortation of the first Moses, that we take the Word into our heart and soul.

Christ tells us in today's Gospel from Matthew that it is not enough to do something in the name of Christ. Works of mercy are indeed necessary and required of us, make no mistake about it. Matthew 25:31-46 makes this perfectly clear, as does St. James, and as is testified to in many places throughout the New Testament. Don't be fooled into thinking that good works (which is not the same as works of the law) are not required; they are. The mistake we make is in thinking that these good works, apart from the grace of God, in any way justify us before God or of themselves can make us holy and righteous. They cannot, which is why the Lord says today, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'"

This is why we must submit ourselves entirely to the grace of God, and praise Him from our hearts, and truly receive Him into our soul. By doing the works of the Lord that are required of us because of a true and living faith in Christ as our only hope and our only salvation, only then can our good works bring us closer to God, and contribute to our sanctity, not because we do them, but because in doing them we are receiving the gift of God's grace and allowing that grace to renew us within. So praise God, worship Christ, receive grace in the sacraments, foster an authentic prayer life, trust in God, and cooperate with whatever grace He bestows upon us. Then we will find the law to truly be a blessing in our lives, a source of joy and peace. Then will the righteousness of God be manifest in our own lives.

Grace and peace in Christ,
Michael

In his General Audience of November 21, 1979, Pope John Paul II gives his final discourse on the meaning of original unity within the greater Theology of the Body. He reminds us once again that he continues to examine and reflect upon these passages from Genesis because Christ Himself, in answering the Pharisees question on divorce, appealed to “the beginning,” and so it is important for us to penetrate the meaning of man’s original state so that we can see how and for what God has created us.
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The readings for today are from Zeph 3:14-18a, Is 12:2-6, Luke 1:39-56.

In truth we can say that Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth was the protoevangelion, the first sharing of the Gospel of Salvation. Having received this most blessed message from the angel of the LORD, and also hearing that her elderly cousin was now with child, Luke tells us that Mary made haste to that town of Judah. The Holy Spirit had come upon her and conceived her LORD within her womb, and in haste she made the dangerous trek across the hill country and brought the Gospel with her. To be an unmarried virgin carrying child would certainly put her in danger, and yet she could confidently proclaim with the prophet Isaiah, "God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid." Because of the tremendous grace the Almighty God has shown to Mary in setting her apart for a unique role in His plan of salvation, and because of her humble and trustworthy assent to God's will, Elizabeth rightly refers to her as blessed among all women, and because at the sound of Mary's greeting Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit she rightly recognizes that blessed is the fruit of her womb. How remarkable it is that just at the sound of Mary's voice Elizabeth could recognize that she was the Mother of her LORD! Mary is most blessed because she believed that what was spoken to her by the LORD would be fulfilled.

It is in this way that Mary is the model of faith for all of us. Through Christ, the Almighty God has made amazing promises to all who believe in His Son. We are most blessed when we confidently trust that all of these promises will be fulfilled, and when, regardless of what challenge or task the LORD puts in our path, we simply join our hearts to that of the Blessed Virgin Mary and say, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the LORD; let it be to me according to your word." To all who imitate the Virgin Mary and humbly submit to the will of God, we too may find the Spirit move within us and cause us to joyously sing, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the LORD; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

Mary's Magnificat, her exquisite song of praise, also serves to lay the foundation for the Gospel that Christ will proclaim. St. Bede the Venerable says of this song and its opening line, "With these words Mary first acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Then she recalls God's universal favors, bestowed unceasingly on the human race." When Mary goes on to proclaim the great things the Almighty has done for her, Bede says, "Mary attributes nothing to her own merits. She refers all her greatness to the gift of the one whose essence is power and whose nature is greatness, for he fills with greatness and strength the small and the weak who believe in him." We see throughout the Gospel of Luke that Mary frequently pondered in her heart the mysteries God worked in her life and in the world. We too must contemplate in our hearts the mysteries of God, so that we may more easily recognize the work of His hand and thus more authentically proclaim His greatness and the gifts He bestows on us.

Every evening the Catholic Church sings this great song of Mary, the Magnificat, in the prayer of Vespers. Evening is the time when our hearts are wearied by the day's work, our minds are ready to slow down, and our souls are thus most prepared for contemplation. And so in turning our entire being over to God in evening prayer with the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her song we contemplate God's greatness and the wonders that He works. It is in the evening that we are most lowly, and so the LORD lifts us up. It is in the evening when we are most hungry, and so the LORD fills us with good things. It is after the day's work that are best able to recognize our role as servants, and so the LORD comes to our help and reminds us of His great mercy. It is in the evening when we are most weary from the restlessness of the world, and so the LORD reminds us of the great promise He has made to us, to our fathers and to all His children.

So after spending time in contemplation, with the Virgin Mary at our side helping to remind us of the greatness of our God, let us every night join our hearts and sing with the prophet Isaiah, "Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among all nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth."

Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The readings for today are from Deut 7:6-11, Ps 103:1-4,6-8,10, 1 John 4:7-16, Matt 11:25-30.

Today's feast is the great celebration of God's love and mercy for His children, a love that knows no bounds because it flows from the infinite God; a mercy that heals all our infirmity because it flows from the Sacred Heart of the Divine Physician. The love of God is the perfect "agape" love, the love that empties itself entirely, the love that pours itself out on the beloved. We are the beloved of God, the Bride of Christ, and when the soldier pierced his lance into the side of our Christ, it was not just on that soldier but on all of us that God's love poured forth and washed clean our sins, and brought us back into that loving relationship with the Almighty God.

And yet God's love is not just perfect "agape" love, but it is indeed also the "eros" love, too, for God's love for us is passionate. We see this particularly in the Song of Songs, where Christ the Bridegroom speaks to us and says Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away...O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is comely (Song 2:10,14). To behold the Cross, to see the love of God poured forth from the side of Christ, from His Most Sacred Heart, is to see a God Who truly longs for us and desires us, Who is passionate in His love for us.

The words spoken in today's first reading from Deuteronomy are now fulfilled in us, the children of God through the adoption of our baptism: "It was because the LORD loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he had sworn your fathers, that he brought you out with his strong hand from the place of slavery, and ransomed you." Our slavery to sin kept us from receiving the generous riches that the LORD longs to bestow upon us, and it was we who kept ourselves enslaved. Because we had no means of freeing ourselves, the God Who loves us paid the ransom for our slavery and set us free, redeeming us in His own Blood. From His own Heart we were set free, so that now in our own hearts we may sing a song of praise and adoration to our most loving God! We may truly love Him and adore Him with all the affections of our soul, and sing how great is the God Who saves us! Because of our redemption through the Heart of Christ we may now truly and authentically join our hearts to the heart of the psalmist, and sing with him, "Bless the LORD, O my soul; all my being, bless his holy name."

This heart of Jesus is a heart of love, and as our Gospel tells us today, it is also a heart that is meek and humble. We who love Christ and who long to imitate Him as we should must then strive to make that our own heart, as well. By praying with John the Baptist, "He must increase, and I must decrease," we pave the way for the Sacred Heart of Jesus to take over our own hearts, so that we may love our neighbor not with human affection, but with the love of God. Our second reading today tells us this: "In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that God has loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we must also love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us." It is through this Sacred Heart of Jesus that we have our very life, a life which abounds in love, not because we have loved God, but because God has loved us. And St. John tells us that in order for God to remain in us, and in order for His love to be brought to perfection in us, we must love one another as He has loved us.

So let us then take the Heart of Jesus as our own. Let us empty ourselves out in loving service to each other. Let us love each other passionately, desiring the greatest gifts for one another, particularly by building one another up so that we may receive the gifts of God's grace. Let us remember one another in confident prayer, remembering always these words from St. Paul: What then shall we say after that? If God is for us, who can be against us? Is it possible that he who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for the sake of us all will not grant us all things besides? Who shall bring a charge against God's chosen ones? God, who justifies? Who shall condemn them? Christ Jesus, who died or rather was raised up, who is at the right hand of God and who intercedes for us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or the sword? As Scripture says: "For your sake we are being slain all the day long; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered." Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us. For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus, our Lord (Rom 8:31-39).

Grace and peace in Christ,
Michael

Today's readings for Thursday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time are from 1 Pet 2:2-5,9-12, Ps 100:2-5, Mark 10:46-52.

Salvation in Christ is a process of growth, a continuum that begins with our baptism and is not fully completed until our resurrection. At times we find ourselves stuck in a spiritual rut, where our prayer life, our journey towards perfection in Christ, becomes stale and we find ourselves less than inspired. This is usually because we have reached a point where we have stopped making spiritual progress. Like a child learning to read from children's books, a point will come when they have advanced beyond that reading level and will simply become bored with the same old picture book, so too are we in our spiritual lives, in our journey of salvation. In today's first reading the Apostle Peter writes, "Beloved: Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, for you have tasted that the LORD is good." Our first real experience with Christ gives us a taste of His goodness, and the Spirit within us gives us a glimpse of the glory that awaits us. This same Spirit then prompts us along our journey of salvation, and urges us on at the appointed time to seek out more fulfilling spiritual food. We mature in our spiritual lives as we grow closer towards that perfection in Christ.

For this reason it is of utmost importance that we daily work towards a greater sense of self-discernment. We must be able to truly know ourselves, to measure our spiritual progress, to know our faults and our strengths, to know what gifts the LORD has given to us and how we have failed and succeeded in using those gifts for the greater glory of God. Most importantly we must always strive for holiness and for cleanness of heart, for this alone will allow us to discern the will of God. It is through discernment of self that we understand our greatest weakness and where we are most liable to be tempted, and what obstacles are most likely to keep us from God. As St. Augustine wrote in his Confessions, "Nevertheless, my hope is strong, for You are faithful, and You will not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength, but in time of temptation You will also give us a way out to enable us to bear it (1 Cor 10:13). Let me confess then what I know of myself, and let me also confess what it is that as yet I do not know of myself. What I know of myself, I know by the light of Your wisdom, and what I do not know, I shall remain ignorant of until my darkness be made like the noonday (Is 58:10) in Your countenance" (X,5.7).

By the light of the LORD and the indwelling of His Spirit we may learn the truth about ourselves, and gain keener insight into the state of our soul. O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether (Ps 139:1-4). By turning our thoughts interiorly and by the assistance of the Holy Spirit discerning the truth of ourselves and of our soul, we not only discover the truth about us, but we also gain a more intimate knowledge of God. "Let me know You, O LORD, Who know me. Let me know You, as I am also known by You (1 Cor 13:17)" (Confessions, X,1.1). And again, "As for You, O LORD, before Whose eyes the abyss of a man's conscience lies naked, what could there be in me that could be concealed from You, even if I did not will to confess it to You? For I would only be hiding You from myself and not myself from You" (X,2.2). It is in this honest and searching interior reflection that we open ourselves up to the working of the Spirit and allow ourselves to advance in spiritual maturity. This is most necessary to avoid the sort of spiritual malaise that often overcomes those who start off on fire for Christ only to see that zeal wane after a period of time. This waning is because they have not allowed themselves the opportunity to "grow into salvation," to progress in spiritual perfection.

For some of us, a true and honest discernment of the soul will reveal that which we dread to admit, which is that our faith is very weak, or even non-existent. We might find that we are in fact blinded to the presence of God and no longer see Him in our lives. This can happen for many reasons, but the last thing this should cause in us is despair. Even for this situation we have a remedy, and it is related to us in today's Gospel. The blind man in Mark called out to the LORD, but was only driven back. Yet He knew that Christ was the only one Who could cure his blindness, and so he persisted, and continued to call out, and begged the LORD to have pity on him. And when he called out to Jesus, Jesus in turn called to him, and said to him, "Take courage, get up." The blind man said to Jesus, "Master, I want to see." To which Jesus replied, "Go your way, your faith has saved you." And immediately the blind man received his sight.

It is not uncommon on our journey with Christ that we may experience spiritual blindness. Many of us may have lost all sense of faith. There are two keys to this Gospel passage as it applies to us whose faith is weak or even apparently gone. First, the blind man desired to see. If our faith seems to be gone, we must truly desire to have it back. With that desire, longing to see God no matter how convinced we are that He is not there, or perhaps even convinced that He just does not exist, if we long to see Him and to know the truth about God, no matter how weak our faith may be, if we persist in calling out to know Him, our persistence will be rewarded, and Christ too will come to us. We will find that even when our faith seemed gone, it was sustained by out desire to know God, and it is because of that desire that Christ will be able to truthfully say to us, "Your faith has saved you," and thus cure our spiritual blindness. This is the second element, that despite the weakness of our faith, if we desire to know God, we must be willing to ask for faith, no matter how silly we may feel in doing so. Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you (Matt 7:7). What more perfectly could we apply this to than our desire to know the truth about God?


Grace and peace in Christ,
Michael

Today's readings for Wednesday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time are from 1 Pet 1:18-25, Ps 147:12-15,19-20, Mark 10:32-45.

The opening verse from today's first reading from the Apostle Peter cut me like a knife: "Beloved: Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished Lamb." I've spent these past few weeks reflecting on my past, on my own struggles with sin, and particularly those sins which hold such a strong grip on me to this day. It is the futile conduct in which I deceive myself into thinking will lead to joy or happiness, but in reality only lead to pain, shame, and turn me away from the true source of my joy and of my being, the Almighty God. And yet a ransom has been paid, a ransom that not only forgives the debt I owe for my sins, but also redeems me here and now so that I might turn back to God and glorify Him, which is the only authentic meaning to this life, and which alone prepares me for what awaits when this life passes. Yet I am incapable of glorifying God on my own, and I can only rely on that grace that poured forth from the Cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, and from the Cross continues to come to us in the Sacrament of the altar, the Holy Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist that we receive the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of Christ, and the grace from that Body and Blood is what enables us to break the habit of sin so that we may glorify and love God with our entire being, mind, body, and soul.

For sin has so weakened me in this life that I do not recognize what is truly good and to be rejoiced, and what is evil and to be lamented. I seek happiness in what can only hurt me, and I turn away from what alone can bring me peace. Yet through my baptism I am given access to the cure for this infirmity, and once I am born of Mother Church, which is the instrument of God's grace, I can then "purify myself by obedience to the truth." It is the Church that teaches us the true path to happiness, for it is the Church alone that reveals to us the truth about God as revealed through Jesus Christ, Who "was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for us, who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that our faith and hope are in God." Christ alone is our hope, and it is in hope that we are saved, since in this world, through the Spirit of Christ, we are given a glimpse of the glory that is to come.

In his Confessions, St. Augustine wrote of this faith that comes through Christ: "Not with a doubting but with a certain knowledge, O Lord, do I love You. You have pierced my heart with Your Word, and from that moment I have loved You." St. Augustine was particularly devoted to the Eucharist, knowing that in Christ God became man so that in the Eucharist men might become gods by participating in the divinity of Christ. He tells us twice in the Confessions that his mother, St. Monica, faithfully received the Eucharist every single day until she died. It was this Sacrament that strengthened her to bring her pagan husband and her promiscuous son to the true faith in Christ. It was the Eucharist that enabled St. Monica to become the perfect model of virtue and piety, and to become a living model of Christ's love for the Church.

Like St. Augustine I struggle with those sins that have become habitual. But habit is what makes both vice and virtue, since vice and virtue are nothing but good or evil behavior which have been performed so often as to form a habit. But through the Eucharist, by covering my soul in the Precious Blood of Christ, and receiving the Sacred Body of the Physician into my own mortal and infirmed body, I receive the grace necessary to break the habit of sin and form new habits of virtue, so that finally I may glorify God and live a life of service to Him and to His Church. Through the Eucharist I can become like Christ, who "did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." St. Therese of Lisieux was not ashamed to admit that she indeed wanted to be a saint. That is indeed the most worthy of desires, and one that cannot be achieved without the grace of God, particularly as it comes to us through the Eucharist. Praise the LORD Who provides that grace for us in such an intimate and sacramental way!

Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael

In his General Audience of November 14, 1979 Pope John Paul II gives his second of three discourses within his greater Theology of the Body on the meaning of original unity. He expounds on what it means for the “definitive” creation of man to consist in the unity of two beings. The unity denotes, above all, the identity of human nature. The duality, however, demonstrates what, on the basis of this identity, constitutes the masculinity and femininity of created man. The unity and duality of man has both an ontological and axiological dimension, for they constitute what it means to be human, and also set forth man’s value as man before God (“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Gen 1:31). This unity and duality of man also sets forth a particular value for man himself: “first, because he is ‘man’; second, because the ‘woman’ is for the man and, vice versa, the ‘man’ is for the woman.” While this reality is expressed in purely theological terms in Genesis 1, Genesis 2 reveals this axiological dimension of the unity and duality of man through man’s own experience, first through the experience of original solitude, and then through the experience of man beholding woman for the first time. In few words the text of Genesis 2:23 can be considered a biblical prototype for the Song of Songs. While the text is concise, the Holy Father concludes that “one could even venture to say that the depth and power of this first and ‘original’ emotion of the man before the humanity of the woman, and at the same time before the femininity of the other human being, seems something unique and unrepeatable.”
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My final grades are in. I really wanted this to happen but I thought I messed up, but I got my 4.0. That gave me straight A's for both semesters (even though the first semester was a limited course load). I'm very excited. My last spring semester was a total disaster, mostly because I had no idea how sick I was and just missed way too much class. So it was really nice after everything that has happened in the past year to bounce back with two consecutive 4.0's.

Anyway, that's all, I'm excited. My computer usage is limited for the next month, so I'll only be on in spurts (though I hope to do a couple posts today). Hope everyone is well.

Peace,
Michael

Today's readings for Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter are from Acts 20:28-38, Ps 68:29-30,33-36, John 17:11b-19.

"Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth." This is the prayer, or part of the prayer, that Christ makes to the Father for the Church just before being betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is such an interesting prayer. What does it mean for the Father to "consecrate" us in truth? The Greek word here for "consecrate" is αγιαζον, which means "to set apart as sacred to God." It can also mean "purify, cleanse," and the root of the word is the same as the word used in the Greek for Holy Bible, "η αγια γραφη." This then falls in perfectly with the rest of Christ's prayer, when just before asking God to consecrate us in truth, he says, "They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world." As Christians, we are purified in the truth revealed by Christ, and in Christ we are set apart from the world, held sacred by God. We live in the world, but we are not of the world. The world now is full of deceit, and we are set apart in truth, for it is only in Christ that one may know the truth about God.

In today's reading from Acts St. Paul uses this same language in his address to the presbyters of Ephesus. He says, "And now I commend you to God and to that gracious word of his that can build you up and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated." St. Paul commends us to the gracious word of God, the Divine Logos, which builds us up, and in which we are set apart by God. What's important to keep in mind here is that we are not set apart so that we might become puffed up with pride, but rather we are set apart so that so that we might be the light of hope in a despairing world. We are set apart in the truth of Christ so that the world will look to us and see the fulfillment they seek, the fulfillment that the world cannot offer. As Aristotle says in the opening of Book 12 of Metaphysics, "All men by nature desire to know." Seeking the truth is part of who we are as humans, as rational creatures, and we as Christians are set apart in truth, consecrated in the Divine Logos, so that the world may find the fulfillment of that desire. This then places the responsibility on us to truly become that light in the world, the light that dissipates the darkness of deceit.

To this end then we must take all measures to ensure that we cooperate with this consecration. We must identify the ways in which God conforms us to Truth, so that by being so conformed the light within us may shine more brightly. There are several things we must do in order to cooperate with the grace God showers upon us. First, since Christ says that God's word is truth, and as such it is in God's word that we are set apart, we must dedicate ourselves to that word, particularly as it is revealed in Sacred Scripture. We must continue to seek the Wisdom of Scripture, to pray with Scripture, so that the Word of God in Scripture becomes our natural language, informs our prayer, and becomes the true rhythm of our souls. Second, we must continue to turn to the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is in the Eucharist that Christ the Word gives us His very Self, His own Body and Blood, so that by receiving the Word we might become conformed unto the Word. The sacraments are a primary means God uses to transmit His grace to us, and so we must rely upon these efficacious means in order to become more fully conformed to Truth. Finally, we must continue to seek the love and wisdom of the fellowship. It is so important to foster relationships with our sisters and brothers in the Church, so that we not only worship with them on Sunday when we gather around the Table of the LORD, but also that we edify each other in our daily lives and encourage each other in our walk with Christ. The exhortation St. Paul gives the presbyters is as true today as it was then: "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come upon you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them." We know that the wheat and the chaff coexist on the same threshing floor until such time as Christ separates us when He returns, and so we must edify each other and support each other so that together we might grow in truth and not be led astray by the savage wolves.

By dedicating ourselves to Scripture, to the sacraments, and to the fellowship, we strengthen ourselves in God's grace and become more conformed to the Truth which is God's Word. By so strengthening ourselves, we become better lamps of hope in a world full of despair. It is the responsibility placed upon us as those set apart by God, consecrated in the Blood of His Son. Only by cooperating with the grace made available to us can we hope to live up to this calling by God.

Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael

Usually we hear it referred to as persistent vegetative state, but either way is completely offensive, as if a person can be equated to a vegetable. They are handicapped, not a vegetable. Anyway, here's this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353497,00.html

[EDIT] Just to avoid confusion, my problem with any reference to vegetative states is not the notion that they could be irreversible barring a miracle (I submit the article I've linked is a miracle), but rather the reference to a person as "vegetative" or "a vegetable." I think that is highly offensive and we must remove it from our vocabulary as surely as we must remove any racial or ethnic slurs. These are people who are handicapped, severely handicapped, but to refer to them as vegetables or in vegetative states is highly offensive.

I'm pretty sure I'm about to start a firestorm over in catholicism. Maybe I should turn off my e-mailing comments option :-P

(P.S. it's about abortion and Holy Communion from a Catholic perspective, so perhaps don't read if you think it will make you mad. It's very Catholic-specific, though).

(P.S.S. I know a few of the mods are on my f-list. Sorry if this post ends up making your life difficult for a few days. I just think it's something that had to be said, particularly in light of upcoming elections. I love you!)

Today's readings for Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter are from Acts 20:17-27, Ps 68:10-11,20-21, John 17:1-11a.

Paul says something very interesting in today's reading from Acts of the Apostles. He is preparing to leave for Jerusalem, and he says to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus, "And so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God." What I find so interesting about this is the implication involved. He is not responsible for their blood because he did preach Christ to them. so by extension that means that had he not preached what had been given to him, he would indeed be responsible for their blood. In other words, whatever suffering they endure, particularly any eternal suffering, would in fact fall upon Paul had he kept the Gospel from them. What great responsibility this places on us, as well! Like Paul, we have each been given the gift of the Gospel, we have been blessed with understanding that this Christ is the true Bread of Life, and the only Way, Truth, and Life, and now that it has been given to us, we are charged with sharing this gift with everyone we can. If we do not, if we keep this gift to ourselves, if we decide that our faith is a private matter and we wish not to inconvenience another or impose on another this Gospel that has been given us, then woe to us, for their blood is on our hands.

Certainly we cannot force the Gospel on anyone, nor should we attempt. Throughout the ages people of faith, of many different religions, have proven the folly of attempting to force someone's conversion. That is not the way of Christ, and it is not the Wisdom of God. But perhaps because of a reaction to our feelings of guilt about the actions of our predecessors, and certainly within the context of today's environment of the dictatorship of relativism, where we think that whatever "truth" works for someone is okay, many Christians have become hesitant to even share the Gospel, lest we be considered imposing our beliefs on another. How foolish! We have been given the gift of eternal life, the gift of Truth and Love, and the true path to union with God, and yet in the name of "love" and "tolerance" we refuse to share it. What kind of love is this, that we would withhold the most precious gift we could ever ask for? This is no love, it is fear and it is from the Enemy.

The psalmist today sings so beautifully, "A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance...Blessed day by day be the LORD, who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation. God is a saving God for us; the LORD, my LORD, controls the passageways of death." We have access through Christ to a God who showers upon us a bountiful rain, who bears our burdens, who is indeed our salvation, and He is a God who controls the passageways of death, for it is only through Him that we may enjoy eternal life. To keep this gift to ourselves and not at least attempt to share it with those who are without is the greatest crime we could even think to commit against humanity. St. Paul was enjoying the comfort of his people in Ephesus, in Miletus, and surely would have loved to stay there. He knew full well that he would meet hostility in Jerusalem, for the Holy Spirit assured him of hardships and imprisonment. But he went there anyway, because he had truth to share, truth of eternal significance. He went there because he was "compelled by the Spirit." What is the Spirit compelling us to do today? Where are we being led? Let us continue to pray for confidence, for boldness, for wisdom, for prudence, for counsel, and for perseverance. May God be praised!

Grace and peace in Christ,
Michael

Today's readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter are from Acts 1:12-14, Ps 27:1,4,7-8, 1 Pet 4:13-16, John 17:1-11a.

One week from today the Church will celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus and gave to them the same glory that the Father gives to the Son. These readings in the past few Sundays, as well as the daily readings, have been preparing for this celebration, giving us a taste of the Holy Spirit, and also giving us a glimpse into how the Apostles react to the coming of this great gift, the αρροβον, the first installment of a greater glory to come. So in today's reading from Acts of the Apostles we see the disciples of Jesus gathered in the upper room, hidden away, as it were, still fearful to some degree, not yet understanding all that has happened to them. It says that the Eleven were gathered there, along with some women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. I've often contemplated what a great comfort it must have been to these confused disciples to have the Blessed Virgin with them. She alone had the unique insight into the mystery of Jesus, and one can only imagine that in their great confusion how they relied on her to help make some sense of it all. In their confusion, she who taught Jesus how to pray and who taught him the Psalter no doubt taught these same disciples to sing out with the psalmist today, "The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge, of whom should I be afraid?" She who went in haste to seek the comfort of her elder cousin when the Holy Spirit had visited her was now the elder, providing comfort to the fearful little ones as they awaited this deposit of faith.

Peter was there with them, of course, the same Peter who in his great fear could not bear to suffer with Jesus, and so thrice denied him. Yet we see in our second reading how completely transformed he was by the Spirit after it came upon him. He who could not bear to suffer now exhorts his children in Christ, "Beloved: Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." Peter has been glorified in the Holy Spirit, and now wishes for his children to receive the same glory.

Indeed, glorification is exactly what is promised to us. But what is this glory that is promised? Jesus tells us in today's Gospel: "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ." It is through the Spirit of Life that we are glorified, for the Spirit alone can reveal to us the one True God, Who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This same Spirit Who inspired the writers of the Sacred Scriptures now dwells within us, so that we might understand that which has been revealed in His Word. This same Spirit now guides the Church, gives abundant life to all who believe in the True God and are baptized in His name.

It is worth repeating, to know the True God is in fact eternal life. The True God was revealed to mankind first through the Scriptures, through the People of Israel, and then through His Son, Jesus Christ, and now through the Holy Spirit who guides the Church. Why is it that knowing the True God is eternal life? Because we cannot love what we do not know, and so it is only by knowing God that we may truly love God. God's love is the source of all creation and all life, and so to love God is to dwell eternally in that very life, the life of the Eternal God. So let us continue to grow in the Spirit of Truth, seeking always through Scripture, through fellowship, through communion with the Church, to know and understand the God Who has revealed His name to us through Jesus Christ, His Son. Then we can have the prayer of the psalmist fulfilled in us, that we may "dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life," and "gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple."

Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael

But what does it mean when we call this God a living God? It means that this God is not a conclusion we have reached by thinking, which we now offer to others in the certainty of our own perception and understanding; if it were just a matter of that, then this God would never be more than a human idea, and any attempt to turn to him could well be a reaching out in hope and expectation but would still lead us into vagueness. When we talk of the living God, it means: This God shows himself to us; he looks out from eternity into time and puts himself into a relationship with us. We cannot define him in whatever way we like. He has “defined” himself and stands now before us as our Lord, over us and in our midst. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, “God Is Near Us: The Eucharistic, The Heart Of Life”

There is a very real poverty that exists in the world today, a starving for something greater, something transcendent, something that seems somehow more “real” than everything the world tries to sell us. In our market-based culture, for every need that arises there are any number of choices that become readily available to satisfy us. So it is in the spiritual realm. Recognizing a need, or more accurately a longing, for spiritual sustenance, yet disdaining anything that poses to offer absolute Truth, many people today seek their fulfillment in any variety of New Age spiritualities. This disdain for religion coupled with a longing for spiritual fulfillment is probably best encompassed by the Unitarian Universalists, who offer a place where people can “feel good by doing good,” all the while crafting whatever image of god suits them. If it works for you, if that’s the god you believe in, then as long as that helps you do good, it’s a good god you have.
( Discover the Truth about God )

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. The readings for today, Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter, are from Acts 18:9-18, Ps 47:2-7, John 16:20-23

The LORD said to St. Paul, "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you." How truly we need to accept these words in our hearts today! The LORD is with us, and provides us with strength and courage if we remain open to Him. We live in a world that is starving for hope, starving for the Gospel of Salvation, starving to hear the Truth amidst the great deceptions which pervade this world. Now more than ever the Gospel is met with hostility, and we are tempted to keep our faith to ourselves, to worship God alone or only with people like us. But that is not what is demanded of us. We have made a commitment to God in our baptism, and we are called to share the Good News among a hostile world. It is easy to fear, but do not be afraid! Go on speaking, and do not be silent! The LORD is with us, and "the LORD, the Most High, the awesome, is the great king over all the earth." So let us proclaim the Gospel that has been given to us, and to all the earth let us join our voices with the psalmist, "Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise."

It is important for us to remember that our covenant relationship with God is two-ways. Yes, we have committed ourselves to God, but God has also committed Himself to us. Just as we are bound to worship God and to follow His Law, God too is bound to provide for us every grace we need to fulfill our obligations to Him. We can do nothing without Him, yet we can do all things in him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). As Christ tells us in the Gospel today, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give to you." If we ask in Christ's name - that is to say, if we ask for that which allows us to fulfill the will of the Father - then God is bound by covenant to give it to us. This is the same Father Who knows what you need before you ask (Matt 6:9). So let us ask for the grace to do His will, and by prayer expand our desire for God in our hearts, and the God who already knows our needs will provide for us abundantly.

The world is poor and needy, not just in the physical sense, but primarily it suffers from an extreme spiritual poverty. We see the effects of this starvation by the fact that so many reach our for the unsatisfying fruits offered by so many "spiritual" movements, New Age solutions to spiritual hunger. These can never fulfill the deepest needs of man because they are not rooted in Truth. We the Church have been given the keys to the Kingdom, the Reign of God over our hearts and minds and souls through Christ Jesus our LORD. So let us go out into this starving world and offer the true Bread from Heaven, so that they finally may be satisfied. Yes, the world puts up a strong defense, and at first is hostile, but let us bring this Christ to them anyway. Do not be afraid, for Emmanuel, God-with-us, is LORD.

Grace and peace in Christ,
Michael

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of the LORD. The readings for today are from Acts 1:1-11, Ps 47:2-3,6-9, Eph 1:17-23, Matt 28:16-20.

It is really difficult sometimes to put ourselves in the position of the disciples of Jesus during all of this time. When we really think about it, the scene from today's reading in Acts is just utterly absurd. Imagine what must be going through their minds. They followed this man Jesus for three years, mesmerized by Him, placing all their hopes in Him. Then their hopes were utterly destroyed as they beheld Him nailed to a tree, cursed, beaten, bloodied, scourged, and dead. The grief and confusion was surely overwhelming. Yet, the following Sunday, the strangest thing happened, and this Jesus was found to be no longer in the tomb. He is Risen! Alleluia! Now the grief and confusion was transformed to a greater experience of joy and confusion, for even still they did not understand. And so for 40 days they had their Rabbouni, and he instructed them further, and promised them the Spirit, telling them that He cannot remain with them. But surely they were not expecting this, that immediately after He promised them the power of the Holy Spirit, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return to you in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven." Like I said, it's just absurd. And now that they've seen Him alive, then dead, then alive, then ascended into heaven, when the angels proclaim that He will return again in the same way, they just can't know what to think.

And it is true, they still remain confused, though now after witnessing these tremendously magnificent acts of power from the God of Life their hearts are ready to receive what is next. What they do not yet understand will be made clear once they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for God will give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. The Spirit is the promised gift that opens up clearly the mysteries of Christ in new and profound ways. St. Paul continues: May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe. The Spirit is the great gift of God, but it is in fact only the first installment, as it were (the Greek αρροβον), which reveals to us in the present just something of the glory that awaits us when Christ comes again. So it is the Spirit that fills us with hope, and the Spirit that enables us to see through the calamities of this present age to the glory of the time to come. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18)

But in fact, when we submit ourselves to the gentle mastery of Christ and invite the Spirit to have free reign over our souls, then even in this age we find ourselves experiencing the great glory of God. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18). This αρραβον, the first installment of God's promise made through Christ, transforms us from glory to glory, renewing our own spirits and restoring our souls to the luster with which they were originally created -rather an even greater luster than with which we were born, for even at birth we had the stain of Adam upon us. But now cleansed in the Spirit we are transformed, glorified in the Spirit, and this only to prepare us for the wonders that God has in store for us, wonders so great that of them St. Paul writes; But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him," God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God (1 Cor 2:9-10).

Aristotle said that of all beings, none enjoys a greater happiness than humans, because humans alone are capable of contemplating God, and this is the greatest joy there is. We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and through this Spirit we are able to search the depths of God. Let us give thanks to the Almighty God for this magnificent gift, and invite the Spirit into our lives, and enter into the great silence of prayer so that the Spirit may truly reveal to us the glory that belongs to us in Christ our LORD.

Grace and Peace in Christ,
Michael

In the Catholic Mass, during the Penitential Rite we often pray the Confiteor, which goes as follows:

I confess to Almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do. And I ask the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the LORD our God.

It is this part in bold that has really struck me lately. I’ve been reflecting on this recently, and in my nightly examinations of conscience I’ve been trying to identify my sins of omission, those times when I was presented with the opportunity to help my neighbor and simply turned away. Then I began reflecting on the great passage from Matthew 25:31-46:
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