CLARITY vs. OBSCURITY

Good day everyone. In this week’s upcoming Gospel (LK 6: 39-45), like students we sit listening to Jesus teach us another lesson.  Like most teachers, He instructs with thought-provoking parables and challenging questions.  This week Jesus poses a question about whether we believe one blind person can lead another who is also blind.  He goes further by challenging us “to remove the log (or obstacle) in our eye before we attempt to remove a splinter in someone else’s eye.”  So, what is He trying to teach us?

        

I presume that Jesus is asking me to honestly acknowledge my weaknesses, imperfections & sins before I either try to offer aid to someone else or come to judgement of a person.  From a personal perspective, Jesus’ analogy of the log in my eye confronts me with the hypocrisy I have resorted to in my life sometimes.  Hypocrisy that deceptively, insulated me from certain painful truths about myself and realities I tried my best to avoid.  And hypocrisy that prevented me from developing into the person God always wanted me to be; a person of clarity & transparency.

   

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus asks me to openly, examine my arrogance and lack of humility.  How often I want praise and acknowledgment for my good deeds? In truth, too often.  And why do sometimes require the accolades of others to validate myself and to be assured that I am behaving in a proper, Christian manner?  More questions seem to arise.  “Now praise is important when it is the result good intent, but if my ulterior motive is to be praised, it becomes a log in my eye.” 

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a wonderful self-help, support group.  It relies upon many slogans within their ranks.   One slogan that seems to resonate with me (regarding this lesson of humility, hypocrisy and vision) is to “keep the focus on yourself.”  In order to experience true change or sobriety, one must do this first and foremost before any real, transformation occurs.  My dear friends in Christ, let us pray for the courage to live out the Good News every day with a sense of clarity and humility Let’s also focus on the logs in our eyes, before we attempt to identify the splinters in the eyes of those around us. And finally, “Let us seek accolades from no man; only God.” It seems that if we are left alone to accomplish this, it becomes a hopeless task and our vision remains clouded.  But with the Lord and fellow brethren, we are given the precious gift of both sight and direction that allows us to not only talk the talk, but walk it as well.  God bless and I hope to see you on the road I am journeying. The Pilgrim.

May 13, 1981

Generations of Americans have been asked these questions; Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?   Where were you when the planes hit The World Trade Center? And where were you when Pope John Paul II was shot?  It seemed like only yesterday (May 13, 1981) when I was sitting in my junior high school social studies class, when our principal interrupted the class with an important announcement.  “The Pope has been shot.”  It was shocking; especially when a Polish classmate started to weep.  As I walked home that day, I asked myself “Why would someone shoot the Pope?’

The answer eventually came to me as I grew older.  To live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you will make enemies.  An enemy is a person or group who actively opposes someone or something.  Pope John Paul witnessed the horrors of Nazi Germany; only to see the rise of communism in his beloved country.  Cardinal Karol Josef Wojtyla (Pope John Paul) had been prominently featured in Polish history books as leading the resistance to the communist regime in the 1970’s. Because of this, the Communist Party decided to assassinate Pope John Paul.   Death appeared all but certain when three bullets, fired by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, seriously injured the pope.  Death did not prevail.  Pope John Paul would make a miraculous healing in the months afterward. 

The Gospel of Luke 6:27:38 comes alive: “But to you who hear, I say love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “As Pope John Paul II arrived at the prison cell of the man who shot him, he looked into the eyes of the would be killer and shook his hand.  In return, Agca kissed the pope’s hand. The two talked quietly for some time.  Pope John Paul said, “What we talked about will remain a secret between him and me, I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.” When the meeting finished, the Pope gave Agca a small gift in a white box, a rosary.

 

Pope John Paul would later talk about peace and forgiveness saying, “Real peace is not just a matter of structure and mechanisms.  It rests above all on the adoption of a style of human existence marked by mutual acceptance and a capacity to forgive from the heart. We all need to be forgiven by others, so we all must be willing to forgive.  Asking and granting forgiveness is something profoundly worthy of everyone.  So once again, with this need to be forgiven by others, we must be ready to forgive in return.”

Our Lord goes so far to say that a Christian has no personal enemies.  His only enemy is evil, such as sin but not the sinner.  Jesus puts this into practice with those who crucified Him.  He continues to act in this way towards sinners who despise and rebel against Him.  Consequently, the saints have always followed this example; as did St. John Paul II who prayed for His would-be assassin.

This is the high point of striving for holiness or as they say, as we “stumble to holiness.”  We must love, forgive and pray for even those who persecute us.  We love because God Loved us.  Our love of our enemies must express itself in action.  The action is forgiveness.  Whom in our life do we need to forgive?

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Who do you trust?

Welcome to another installment of our blog… I am still working on “perfecting” my faith and falling deeper in love with Jesus everyday. Growing up  in a fairly religious family and attending a catholic elementary school built a foundation of  prayer and worship that has stayed with me in to my adult years. I’m very fortunate to have  been born into such great family but there are some drawbacks.  My faith had never been tested. It was automatic.  It was almost on auto pilot for most of my younger years. I didn’t know anything else.  I wasn’t until my adult years that my faith and  love for Jesus Christ was questioned.  That foundation proved to be solid and, after the all the questions,   Jesus Christ  lives in the center of my life as the quarterback in this game of  life. 

While reading this weeks gospel  Luke 6:17, 6:20-26  I was reminded of why my faith in Jesus seems to grow when I am faced with my greatest challenges.    I have always felt like an underdog. Like I have had to work a little harder than everyone else to get my fair share.  It may not be true but thats just a feeling that I have lived with.  I’ve noticed that I ‘d go through a season where it seems like nothing is going my way. Challenge after challenge with no break in sight. Then I end up  asking God.. “why me”?   Why does it seem like I get the short end of the stick sometimes??  I’m doing what I consider to be the right things. I pray (all the time) I read the Bible and  I even go to church when I don’t  always feel like it... “why me?”   

In this reading Jesus  is addressing a large crowd  of people and his disciples.  He says “How blessed are you who are poor: the kingdom of God is yours.”   I don’t know about you but... It puts me at ease to know that Jesus is looking out for the underdog. He is speaking to the  guy that doesn’t have it all.   Poor... have you been there? Spiritually or financially, either one can leave you  feeling hopeless and alone. How wonderful is it to know that when you are feeling poor, the blessings of the lord are still there. He said “the kingdom of  God is yours"  Not in the future.  Right now.  Amazing!!!  In my life,  money and  material things have come and gone. Jesus always been there for me. Ups and downs of life... Jesus is still right there. People come into my life for a season and people go. Yet, Jesus is always still there.  

Jesus goes on to to say “Blessed are you who are hungry now: you shall have your fill. Blessed are you who are weeping now: you shall laugh.”   I love the way he says “ hungry now”!   Listen guys, right now things may not be exactly the way you want but,  if you have enough faith  in Jesus your challenge will turn around. How incredible is it to know that your current situation is not your ending point? If you are hungry now.. hang on, your meal is coming.  If you are spiritually struggling and weeping, hang on, your time is coming.  I’m sure we have all prayed for a life that is without  some of the challenges or struggle but, it is in those moments when we see exactly who Jesus is and what he means to us.  It is In those moments that Jesus reveals to us, who he really is and how great he truly is. Without any doubt, I can say that It has been during the times when I was the weakest  and felt the most alone that my faith and trust in the lord was the strongest.  As I get a little older I have learned to accept that there are some things that we simply can not control.  What we can control is who we put our trust in.  We can trust the lord.  

-Anonymous 

One more time

          This week’s Gospel reading is from Luke.  It’s the story of Jesus telling the fisherman Simon Peter to “put out into deep water” and once again cast his nets for fish.  This was even though Simon Peter and his crew had experienced a really bad day fishing and the men were already washing their nets and putting them away.  Of course, when Simon Peter listens to Jesus and heads out a little deeper to throw out his nets one more time, the nets become so full of fish that the boat nearly sinks.  Simon becomes ashamed of having doubted Jesus’ instructions, so much so that he asks Jesus to leave him.  But Jesus tells Simon not to worry, and that from that point forward Simon and his friends will be catching men.  Bigger and better game than they had originally hoped for, in other words.

          I love this story, because I feel like I have gone through this.  There have been times in my life when I’ve been packing it in, so to speak, “washing my nets” and telling myself that there is no hope.  And sometimes when I have gotten to that point, I’ve received what I feel is divine encouragement to keep on going and see what can be made out of what has gone wrong.

          I think that the worst thing that can happen to us is to give up hope.  That’s a lack of faith that I’ve been guilty of many, many times.  But when I take a step back, I can see that God is always there.  This doesn’t mean that bad things haven’t happened in my life, or even that I have felt that things “worked out in the end”.  That’s not the case.  Some things are just bad results.  Sometimes people die too young.  Sometimes relationships break and are never mended.  Sometimes people lose their job and don’t get a better one.  Life is rarely if ever a Hallmark movie.  But I do believe, and it is my experience, that God works all things for good, even bad things.  Most often, seeing that that is true is difficult.  And it requires a lot of perspective, and very often a lot of time. 

          But if you’re putting your nets away, thinking the day is done, the game is lost, and no fish can be caught, please stop for a moment.  Please consider listening to God’s encouragement to take one more step and see if a good thing can come from a bad one.  Please consider throwing out your net again.  God will be on your side, I promise.        

The Pilgrim