From Within

 "From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts..."  That's a line from this coming Sunday's Gospel, Mark 7, but it feels more like the writing of some ancient, sinister author.   

The reading goes on to say, "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile."  That doesn't feel like the Bible. That feels like a guide on how to depress someone who is already feeling bad about themselves.  I know it isn't, but that can be our first impression.  

Here's what the reading makes me think.  It makes me think that we need to take responsibility for our own actions, which we don't always do.  When we've done something wrong, we know it, and that's good.  What's bad is that our next step can be to try to figure out how somebody else caused us to do that thing, or at least contributed to us doing that thing.  That inclination is destructive, and we need to fight it.

You see, I think that what this reading is saying to us is that no other person or thing can defile us; we can only defile ourselves.  

We can be libeled and slandered and hated and tempted and abused, and that will not defile us.  What can defile us is how we react to those outside forces.  If we are libeled and we libel back, we are defiled by our reaction.  If we are slandered and we slander back, we are defiled by our reaction.  And so on.

So, these are our difficult assignments: to absorb defiling things without returning them to the sender; and to absorb defiling things without passing them along to an innocent third party.    

And these are also our difficult assignments: that when we fail, when we let defiling things come out of us, that we acknowledge our failure to control our actions; and that we not pass the buck to someone else for something that we did wrong.  That way we can try to do better next time. 

That's how I see it, anyway.

I pray that the Peace of Christ be with you.  Please pray the same for me. 

- The Older Brother        

     

 There was a slight typo that you might have figured out from my last post.  Please refer to the corrections below.  God reminds me that I have a ways to go before I get everything right! 

Many Are Called

August 22, 2021 Gospel (John 6: 60-69)

I have a dear friend named Jack who is a retired East Meadow High School District teacher.  The last few years of his tenure, Jack requested to work with inmates at the Nassau County Correction Center teaching a GED program. After the head count each weekday morning, , Jack welcomed a group of young inmates into his classroom for instruction.  Before the inmates arrived, Jack would go to his dry-eraser board and in bold letters wrote the word “choices” across the top.  Jack was and remains an amazing teacher and man of the Gospel.

With every lesson he incorporated “choices” into his lesson plan.  It was obvious that these young men had made poor choices that led to their incarceration. This motley crew of prisoners who appeared more like children than hardened criminals would take their seats and await Jack’s lesson.  In retrospect, the embarrassing truth is that I too could have ended up in their predicaments. Everyone hears two voices whispering to them, before deciding which to follow. Unfortunately, wrong choices (and voices) can easily become a pattern.

Each day we awake, all wrestle with those two voices.   The animators of cartoons such as Tom & Jerry were brilliant in bringing this struggle to light by having an angel pop up on Tom’s shoulder and a devil on the other.  The angel warns Tom that his intentions to get rid of Jerry are not right.  Do you recall what happened?  It never fared well for Tom.

In this week’s Gospel, we see Jesus knowing who would choose to remain loyal to Him and who would not, including the one who would betray Him.  The message that jumps out to me is that many are still being called and teacher Jack’s message resonates a basic truth to this day.  Free will is a gift that can lead us to either the angelic voice or to that of the master-deceiver.

You see, Jack was simply acting out as God wanted him to do, in one of the most unlikely environments.  Jack was evangelizing in his role as a schoolteacher, reminding these little ones that God never dictates, but invites us to consider alternative choices and invitations.  Jack in his approach, tried to teach his students that God does not to seek to punish them as our system does, but that God desires to  help them to understand that reconciliation is possible with better choices.

In the distance and on my journey, I see another fork in the road.  I will encounter another choice and pray that it will be the correct one.   I leave you with this reflection and my friend Jack’s story. Take a moment to reflect and listen to Jesus asking, “Do you too want to go away” I pray we all can respond to Jesus’ by saying “Never, Lord.”

The Pilgrim (praying for you)

 

Many Are Called

August 22, 2021 Gospel (John 6: 60-69)

I have a dear friend named Jack who is a retired East Meadow High School District teacher.  The last few years of his tenure, Jack requested to work with inmates at the Nassau County Correction Center teaching a GED program. After the head count each weekday morning, , Jack welcomed a group of young inmates into his classroom for instruction.  Before the inmates arrived, Jack would go to his dry-eraser board and in bold letters wrote the word “choices” across the top.  Jack was and remains an amazing teacher and man of the Gospel.

With every lesson he incorporated “choices” into his lesson plan.  It was obvious that these young men had made poor choices that led to their incarceration. This motley crew of prisoners who appeared more like children than hardened criminals would take their seats and await Jack’s lesson.  In retrospect, the embarrassing truth is that I too could have ended up in their predicaments. Everyone hears two voices whispering to them, before deciding which to follow. Unfortunately, wrong choices (and voices) can easily become a pattern.

Each day we awake, all wrestle with those two voices.   The animators of cartoons such as Tom & Jerry were brilliant in bringing this struggle to light by having an angel pop up on Tom’s shoulder and an angel on the other, warning Tom that his intentions to get rid of Jerry were dangerous.  Do you recall what happened?  It never fared well for Tom.

In this week’s Gospel, we see Jesus knowing who would choose to remain loyal to Him and who would not, including the one who would betray Him.  The message that jumps out to me is that many are still being called and teacher Jack’s message resonates a basic truth to this day.  Free will is a gift that can lead us to either the angelic voice or to that of the master-deceiver.

You see, Jack was simply acting out as God wanted him to do, in one of the most unlikely environments.  Jack was evangelizing in his role as a schoolteacher, reminding these little ones that God never dictates, but invites us to consider alternative choices and invitations.  Jack in his approach, tried to teach his students that God does not to seek to punish them as our system does, but that God desires to  help them to understand that reconciliation is possible with better choices.

In the distance and on my journey, I see another fork in the road.  I will encounter another choice and pray that it will be the correct one.   I leave you with this reflection and my friend Jack’s story. Take a moment to reflect and listen to Jesus asking, “Do you too want to go away” I pray we all can respond to Jesus’ by saying “Never, Lord.”

The Pilgrim (praying for you)

 

 

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord

 This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the Gospel reading, we see that "Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste" in order to help Elizabeth, her cousin, who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Mary does this right after learning that she was chosen by God Himself from among all women throughout all time to be the Theotokos; the Mother of God. 

I find it surprising and very unlikely that any person after finding that they have been so highly exalted above all others would have as their first thought what clearly Mary had as hers. I imagine it went something like this: "Oh, I better run quickly and go help Elizabeth because she too, is pregnant." 

Maybe that doesn't surprise you.

Set aside the risk that she took in agreeing to be found with child and what concerns she may have had about the reactions of St. Joseph and the Nazarene society at large. Let's just say that her faith in God was such that she was not concerned about that at all. What woman would not be tempted to be impressed with her highly exalted stature? What woman would not say to herself "I need someone to help me." What woman after being highly exalted sets off in haste to serve someone else?

Mary. Your mother; given to you by Christ on His Cross.

I would like to invite you to consider making a consecration to Mary. There are many good guides available. I would recommend 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael E. Gaitely, MIC.

Yours in Christ, through our Mother Mary,

                                                                         +Theophilus

Just Some Memorabilia?

 

In my house, we are going through a project of cleaning out our attic.  This cleansing, if you will, has produced many garbage bags.  These garbage bags are full of “stuff” that at one point or another we felt was something we could just not got rid of.  These items range from our kids’ homework to ticket stubs and programs from places we visited years ago.  At the time we put these items in a box, we though they by keeping these items, we would make the joy of the original experience remain alive.  And yes, as we looked at these items, the memory of an event or a moment did indeed come back, but as fast as it came back, it disappeared.  You see these items, while nice because they invoke memories, they are just symbols of something that once was.

What a difference it would be if we could actually be back in those moments.  How wonderful it would be if we could once again really and truly experience a childhood moment for instance.  How great it would be to actually be back at a favorite vacation.  How wonderful it would be to actually be in the presence of family members who are no longer with us.  That is certainly a different experience than recalling a memory.  You see, pictures and memorabilia, while they are nice, are merely symbols or mere reminders of what once was.

So often, my friends, we treat the Eucharist, as a mere symbol of what once was.  And it is understandable, because other things of religion do serve to simply draw our attention to another reality.  Our rosary beads, for example, beautifully serve to help us recall the great mysteries of the life of our Lord and his mother.  A crucifix reminds us and brings to our attention the reality of the crucifixion.  These are important things, yes, but they cannot compare to the Eucharist.

Jesus himself made it quite clear, “This is my body.  This is my blood.”  And yet so many of us, and perhaps each of us, if we are honest, treat the Eucharist, just like any other symbol.  For a brief moment when the priest elevates the host and the chalice, we are reminded of God.  Or even at the moment we receive, our minds flicker a thought about God.  And yet it is meant to be so much more.

And we see that Jesus encountered that same skepticism when he walked the earth.  They questioned, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say,
‘I have come down from heaven’?” And so, we question, ‘It tastes like bread.  It tastes like wine.  How can it be Jesus?  How can it be from heaven?’

And so, we treat it like a mere symbol.  It goes in a box.  The box goes in the attic.  Perhaps one day, someone will go through the box.  At that point a decision will be made.  Do I keep this?  Do I start to use this and cherish it in my life?  Or do I simply put in a garbage bag with all the other memorabilia.

- The Servant