Somewhere Between Presumption and Despair

I wanted to do something a little different for our reflection this week and not necessarily use the readings from Sunday. Since Lent started back on Ash Wednesday, over two full weeks have gone by. I have given a lot of thought to the following two words, responsibility and accountability. As Catholics we are well aware of those two words, sometimes too much and it will lead to excess feelings of guilt. Other times we are not aware of those words and it leads to presumption, presuming God’s grace.

There are two extremes we are to avoid, despair and presumption. Lent calls us to take a deeper look at ourselves and to allow God to enter into the deepest recesses of our being. When that happens we are aware of our weaknesses and sins with greater clarity. That awareness should lead one to seek forgiveness of an always ready and willing God who forgives and forgives completely.

Yet, at times we despair because of Catholic guilt. Guilt itself is not a bad thing, but most people when they speak of Catholic guilt are talking about something that hinders our relationship with Christ and in this case that is correct, any guilt that makes us feel we are horrible and cannot be forgiven is not of God but of sin and even the devil. Sin is never, I repeat NEVER stronger than God’s grace!

At the same time, however, presumption is also a danger for it has no guilt at all. Responsibility and accountability do not exist. As Christians we are responsible for all our actions even the words that pass from our lips. “I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak.” (Mt. 12:36). We presume on God’s grace without accepting responsibility for our actions. The way we do this is by excusing our own actions, believing since God is all good and loving He overlooks anything I may have done or we begin to psychoanalyze all human behavior reducing it to some human deficiency. Just as despair is dangerous so too presumption.

We are called to be balanced, a balance that accepts responsibility, has a healthy sense of guilt and one that leads me to say to another and to God, “I’m sorry.” But also an understanding that God is forgiving no matter my sin and once I am moved by the conviction of the Holy Spirit to seek forgiveness God embraces me wholeheartedly and never looks back on my sins.

Aristotle claimed that virtue is the middle ground (or the mean if you will) between extremes, for example, bravery is the middle ground between recklessness and cowardice. Taking this approach responsibility along with trust is the middle between presumption and despair. Responsibility is my acknowledging that I have committed sin and trust is my assurance that God has forgiven me. We must pray that we find the virtue and live it - the middle ground somewhere between presumption and despair.

Fr. John

2nd Sunday of Lent

Life can throw us some nasty curve balls sometimes. They usually come out of nowhere. How often do we hear of a family member or friend who becomes suddenly ill or is diagnosed with a serious disease, or one day we go to work and we are told that we are laid off due to downsizing – this after 25 years of dedicated service, or not being accepted to a university that we had set our hopes on – believing that our chances were pretty secure. The same could go for a job interview and being passed up, and finally the ultimate curve ball, losing a loved one. There are many scenarios in life that entail suffering and sometimes this life can be very hard. Jesus knows this better than anyone, for he experienced the ultimate injustice, an innocent man, a really and truly innocent man was put to death for the crimes of others.

Knowing that life could be very difficult Jesus gives us hope so that we will continue to get up over and over again. Where is this hope? Today we see it given to Peter, James, and John.

Jesus knew that his time was short and he also realized that his apostles would be severely tested once he would be arrested and crucified. It would shake them to the very core. For three years they had went around with Jesus, living with him and seeing him heal the deaf, the blind, the crippled, the possessed, and even raise people from the dead. The apostles themselves even began to worship him, “And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Mt. 14:33) However, we know that the flock was scattered the night Jesus was arrested, Peter himself would deny Jesus three times and the rest hid, while only John returned. What happened to all the reassurances they received from Jesus in the past, all the miracles they witnessed and even took part in, the thousands who were converted to a life of faith? Once that nasty curve ball was thrown all else was forgotten.

When we enter into darkness ourselves we are not much different than the Apostles, we scatter and we forget, for all we see is darkness. In some ways we can’t be blamed since we are weak and our wounded nature takes over. Jesus on his part is very patient with us and also very loving, he knows that when trials come we go into fear mode; he himself experienced it when he was in the Garden praying that his own cup of suffering would pass. In that story God sends an angle to give him comfort.

Jesus gave Peter, James, and John comfort and reassurance before he was arrested in today’s celebration of the Transfiguration. He gave them a glimpse into his resurrection, his glorified nature, a piece of heaven, and ultimately showing them life after death. We can see that Peter, James and John are mesmerized. One would think that after this even the apostles would have gone to the death with Jesus. "Simon . . . I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers." He said to him, "Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and to die with you." But he replied, "I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day; you will deny three times that you know me." We should not be too hard on Peter here, for this is all of us. And though the apostles failed the test the night Jesus was arrested they did not fail the final exam so-to-speak, but they kept the faith as the story tells us.

We too may fail a test here and there. When difficult times come we may scatter, run away, retreat in on ourselves, question God, and despair for a while, but as we continue to journey with our Lord we notice that He provides help and reassurance, for we too receive “Transfiguration Moments.” They come to us in prayer, at mass, the support of loved ones, and most of all in our relationship with Jesus. When Peter betrayed Jesus he was despairing and his guilt was bringing him down, but he cries out and wails bitterly for what he has done, and the Lord hears his cry and heals him. Slowly Peter remembers, Jesus made the deaf hear, the blind see, the possessed given freedom, and the dead raised to life. Peter knows that in many ways he has been raised from the dead and therefore returns to Jesus. That is also you and me. When the curve ball is just upon us all seems impossible, but when we cry out to Jesus we too remember all that Peter recalled, for we have seen it as well. You may ask me, “Where have we seen it?” I will leave you with this, “look all around you, our miracles are right here, right in front of our very eyes!”

Fr John

Defeating Temptations

Temptations come on many levels; they enter our thoughts\conscience through physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual desire. We must remember that God does not cause temptations, nor is God the cause of sin in any way, “No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15). Rather God gives us a way out and never tests us beyond our own limitations \ strengths, “God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)

Lent calls us to examine our lives in an even more intense manner, to look at the truths about ourselves and face them, more importantly to leave all those things (sin, vice, weakness, etc) behind. When Jesus entered the desert our Lord leaves his temptations behind, but it took work. First it takes trust in God; second, it also takes a lot of hard work. When Jesus entered the desert he had to discipline himself, i.e. fasting for forty days and forty nights on bread and water. He also had to face his temptations, recognize them for the evil they would have produced and then to be able to let them go. This ability to be able to let go of temptations is very difficult, many times temptations give birth to sin.

Jesus’ temptations in the desert are no different than our own. First, Jesus is tempted by Satan through physical desire, in this case food, for Jesus was hungry. How often are we tempted by physical desire? The desire can take many forms, e.g. gluttony, lust, over indulgence in drink; some may even use narcotics for pleasure. We make all kinds of excuses for our behaviors, but none of them fly no matter how elaborate our reasoning. The Lord asks us to look at our tempatations and even sins and to let them go, but we can only do so once we acknowledge them and more importantly once we trust that God will help us. Jesus let his own hunger go and he trusted that God would help him, for his response to Satan is, “man does not live on bread alone, but by every Word of God.”

Jesus is tempted spiritually, for Satan tests him by saying that God will protect him if he throws himself from the parapet of the temple. We too are tempted on spiritual levels, sometimes these temptations can be intense, our belief in God can be shaken, especially when we deal with tragedy, other times these temptations are more subtle or not as intense, e.g. I can miss mass this Sunday, we have a family vacation, God understands. Though less intense, nevertheless still a sin if carried out, its gravity\responsibility could be serious. Something we have lost in our convictions.

Finally Jesus is tempted with prestige and power, Satan tempts him via the psyche (his emotion, intelligence, etc.) “All of this will be yours, if you worship me.” How often do we want more? Bruce Springsteen has a very profound lyric in his song Badlands that sums this up, “Poor man wants to be rich, rich man wants to be king, king’s not satisfied until he loses everything.” That is you and I. It can vary in degree but no man is free of ever being tempted with wanting and desiring more. But to what purpose? Obviously we all need shelter, food, and protection, the daily necessities of life and no one should be denied these, what I am referring to is, “I need a bigger house, I need another car, I need another vacation home, I need more money, I need a better position, I need, I need, I need… When is it enough? Who and what do we worship? Jesus says to Satan, “you shall worship the Lord your God alone.” Satan then departs from Jesus and angels come to minister to him.

Temptations are not sins, but what do we do with temptations when they come, do we follow through on them and give birth to sin or do we hand them over to God and rely on Him? This is not easy, to let them go and trust in God. That is why we must be in desert with much fasting and prayer. Battling temptation takes hard work, however, once we begin to build up good habits in our desert experience of Lent it will become easier to defeat temptations. Together we can achieve what Jesus did, it is possible, why, “it may be impossible for man, but with God nothing is impossible . . . ask and you will receive for what father hands his son a snake when he asks for something to eat?”

Fr John

Into the Desert We Go

Today begins our journey with Jesus and one another into the desert. We go into the desert which is often times barren, hot, and even a cold place so that we learn not to rely on ourselves, but on God. Every time we feel a hunger pang from fasting and abstaining it is a reminder that we do not live on bread alone, but on God. The desert experience is an inward spiritual journey we take to allow God to enter into our very core and that He reveal Himself to us in the most profound ways. However, for that to happen we must strip away all the barriers that prevent that, namely sin, but also all the walls we put up, all the noise that keeps God out, and all the things of this world that we have given too much importance to, sometimes making these things like little gods, it must all go away - and it cannot unless we leave it behind and enter the desert.

We begin to die to self and begin to live for Christ and others in the desert. Once God becomes my all then I begin to rise, to be resurrected into new life. The goal of Lent is for that to happen, that we die to self on this 40 day journey so that at the Easter Vigil we will rise with Jesus when the stone rolls back.

My brothers and sisters, let us go now into to desert, it will be barren, hot, dark, and cold, but we will not be alone, our Lord is there waiting, we also have each other, let us go now, don't look back.

The Will of the Father: Do Mighty Deeds, Be Humble

In this last Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week Nine, Jesus exhorts us to do the will of God. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord. Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father.” Those listening said, “Did we not prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, done mighty deeds in your name? Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’” No mincing of words here, Jesus is direct, blunt, and to the point. The point again being, do the will of his heavenly Father.

What is that will? It is answered by those who responded to Jesus, and yet he knew them not. I think he knew them not because their works were done for the wrong reasons, two in particular. The first is that they were being self serving, the second is that they were justifying themselves. Allow me to explain.

St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe . . . For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” The law (commandments) is a guide, a teacher to show us when we are living in vice\sin. One must embrace the law in one’s heart and live it out love and not for gain or to place some type of “God you owe me” mentality for the good I have done.

We must be humble before God, knowing we cannot save ourselves; the initial gift of grace is free. God owes us nothing. We prophesy, drive out demons, and perform mighty deeds for the sole benefit of others. We do all that we do out of love. Interesting little side here is that these prideful folks who stood before Jesus were still able to drive out demons, prophesy, and do mighty deeds. The reason for that is that God does not want His people to be sold short, even though the disciple is corrupt, living a double life, or is self-righteous. God still works through them for the good of His people.

No one is perfect, all of us are hypocrites from time to time, and I am referring to serious sin and denial on the part of the disciple. But more to our point, we must do the will of God and we must believe that with God’s grace we can do mighty deeds. Sometimes people sell themselves short and they lie to themselves that mighty deeds are only for canonized saints. If you believe that then you will remain small and perform little deeds. God has put us all here for great things, believe it, but always remain humble, knowing we could not do it without God’s grace.

Fr. John Picinic