The Happy Life: Fighting the Good Fight!

A couple of weeks ago while on retreat I had the privilege and blessing to have my younger brother come along with me.  While visiting the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto behind Mt. Saint Mary’s College my brother asked me a simple but profound question.  “Are we hypocrites to keep asking God for forgiveness each day for the sins we continually commit?  If God has given us grace then we are hypocrites to always turn our backs on Him.”  What does Scripture say to this question? “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn. 1:8)  Knowing that we are sinners we are to, “... confess our sins, (for) he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9)  However, this is not easy, this continual humbling of ourselves, this acceptance of our weakness, and harder still – the continuing struggle to reach perfection or one might even say, “As Catholics do we live in a continual cycle of repentance and forgiveness?  That does not seem like a happy life, but rather a life that is burdensome.”

Today’s Gospel challenges us to, “Strive to enter the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough.”  There is a theme that runs throughout all the readings today and that is “discipline.”  The life of faith is not just “feel good,” or “spiritual” but it also entails hard work and not only hard work but an actual disciplining of us by God.  “My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by Him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines …”

St. Paul understood this concept of a continual upward calling towards God that consisted in a challenge, if not even a painful struggling against sin. 

“Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.  Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.” (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

St. Paul in a subliminal or even in a roundabout way admits to his struggle with pride, the pride that he was receiving abundant revelations from Jesus as opposed to others not receiving as many or as important.  God disciplines Paul by placing a thorn in his flesh, to keep him humble.  I wonder, if God placed a thorn in St. Paul’s flesh, does He do the same with us?  St. Paul begged the Lord to take it away, but the Lord’s answer was, “My grace and your humility are enough.”  So it’s not the person who lets us know how holy they are, how good they are before God, but rather when we admit our sins, failings, weaknesses, and when we surrender to Jesus – that is what is pleasing to God.

People will come to confession, over and over again, week after week admitting the same sins and it can wear on the one confessing, and this also takes us to the question I asked in the opening, “is the life of a Catholic a vicious cycle?” Part of our life is knowing that we struggle between good and evil this is what fighting the good fight is all about.  From St. Paul, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.” (2 Tim. 4:7-8)  Even though we fall and get, fall and get up, fall and get up, we are happy and joyful because of God’s grace, we don’t live in a state of misery, for we have been set free, we allow ourselves to be humble and to feel contrite and the fight itself gives us joy – knowing that we are on the road to salvation.

We Catholics, however, will sometimes drown ourselves in guilt, for instance, “my sin is too big or great for God to forgive, or I have way too many sins, i.e. I curse, I lie, I gamble, I smoke, I drink, I gossip, how can the Lord love me?”  If we do not repent, then yes, God grants us what we want, in that case not to be forgiven, but as soon as we do repent, we are forgiven – completely!

I will leave you with this, how can I tell who a true Christian is?  A true Christian is not a person that has never sinned, exception here is our Blessed Mother, but a person who continues to get up after every fall.  God tells us that what is dearest to His heart is that He loves a humble and contrite heart, so in every humble and contrite heart you will find a Christian, that is who we are, simply running the race, I pray we run it well.  Amen.  FJ

Image is of St. Paul preaching in Athens

Where is Your Heart? Where your Treasure Is!

Today Jesus challenges us by advising us to, “Sell your belongings and give alms.  Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach or moth destroy.  For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”  This is not always the easiest thing for us to accept let alone live it out.  We live in a world where more, better, and easier is the driving force in our lives.  There are moments, like in today’s Gospel and in other moments of self-realization that I have just way too much stuff or why do I always need the latest thing or gadget?  I’ll share with you one such moment I just recently had with this struggle of wanting, needing, and desiring more and better stuff.

My moment of realization came in following Pope Francis.  This man is some pope and a great one at that.  He is a pastor at heart and very down to earth, you have heard the stories, i.e. paying his own hotel bill after he was elected, shrugging his shoulders as in “who me” on returning to the Sistine Chapel after his election when he presented himself to his brother cardinals, and recently demanding that he be driven in a 2005 Ford Focus instead of a Mercedes Benz, and still occupying his simple room at Santa Marta.  But a big moment came when he asked all the ordained who work in the Vatican to truly consider selling their upscale vehicles, i.e. BMW’s and Mercedes since those types of vehicles do not embrace the spirit of poverty.  A new sheriff is in town and he’s laying down the law.

This example of a “spirit of poverty” really moved me and it moved me quite significantly, for just recently I was regretting not getting a “Technology Package” in my Kia Sorrento which I purchased last year.  I really wanted to have the 7inch built in dashboard display with navigation, but because they sometimes make you buy other stuff coupled with that I could not afford it.  So, about a month ago I went to Best Buy, my favorite and most dangerous store, I inquired about replacing my existing radio.  The sales representative did a good job and after explaining everything to me and all the parts that I would need, labor, etc. the total would cost me about $800.00, this was much cheaper than the original “technology package” since that ran around $2,000 dollars.  As I am driving home from Best Buy I am listening to Catholic Radio and they are talking about the spirit of poverty that Pope Francis has embraced and I hear this thing about asking his clerics to sell their high end vehicles.  Well, this haunts me for days.  I wrestle almost constantly with why I should have the built-in navigation as opposed to my original unit and I justify by telling myself it’s cheaper, it’s safer, it’s what I wanted in the first place, and lastly and most importantly I deserved it.

After about three or four days I gave in to the Lord, He won the wrestling match and I brought everything back.  I did speak with the technician who was to install it and after much conversation about what I already had and what would needed to have been done, he said, “Father, thank goodness you brought it back because it would have been a very difficult installation and there was no need to replace your unit just for navigation purposes, too much tricky wiring and the loss of what you already have, i.e. steering wheel controls, your original blue tooth and antenna.”  I walked out of there relieved.  Now, I am not patting myself on the back, trust me I have failed more than I have succeeded in this regard.  I share this with you because I imagine we all struggle with this, wanting more of the world than of Jesus.

Pope Francis, a true pastor has asked to look to the spirit of Jesus and His spirit of poverty.  Pope Francis has also taken on the name St. Francis of Assisi, a small man in stature but a giant in the faith, a man who always knew and always lived this idea making his treasure Jesus Christ.  So, where are you at in your life, where is your heart, look to your treasure and you will find the answer. 

FJ