Experiencing God - Opening our hearts 174

"Did not our hearts burn while he opened to us the scriptures"
Gospel of Luke

In this Gospel story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we see two very discouraged people.  As they were wandering to their village a few miles outside Jerusalem, they were described as looking very sad.  In the Jerusalem Bible, it reads:  "Their faces were downcast".  And of course, we know why.  They had witnessed all that had happened to Jesus: His arrest, His torture, and His execution.  All their hopes and dreams in respect to Jesus were shattered, and they were returning to Emmaus to try to pick up the remaining pieces of their lives. 

And then, the extraordinary happens.  Jesus Himself came along and began to walk with them.  But they failed to recognize Him. 

In one Gospel text, it is described as: "their eyes were held back from seeing Him", an expression of their spiritual blindness.  Even though these two disciples had read many times the teachings of the prophets from the Old Testament; even though they were familiar with Jesus' teachings during the preceding three years; they failed to make the connection.  Jesus to them was only that historic figure whose life was played out before them, and ended with His death on the cross.

So Jesus greeted them, listened to their despondent responses, and then began to process of opening their hearts and minds.  Finally, as they invited Jesus into their home, and during the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. 

By this time their mood had completely changed from despondency to a new found hope and excitement.  They immediately returned to Jerusalem to meet with the other disciples to share the news.

The story of the two disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus is really our own story as the reality of the scriptures are opened to our own minds and hearts.  He journeys with us, lifting us from our despondency, giving us the hope and excitement we need to return to Jerusalem to give witness to His  transformational presence in our lives.  This new Jerusalem is the community of the faithful.  His presence is found in the words from scripture, in the breaking of the bread that we share.

Our task today is to become that witness to Christ, active and present in our lives as we open our hearts to Him.  We give witness to teach and to heal those who are unable to see or understand Him clearly.

Experiencing God - Fully Alive 173

" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Gospel of Matthew

I believe it can be said that people of faith discover within themselves a longing to be fully alive in God.  To know God, to love God, to respond to God's love is our longing because we know that this leads to the time and place where we are most alive, most connected to life.  Taking refuge in scripture, taking refuge in prayer, taking refuge in Christ and community are ways in which we discover a fulfillment of that longing.  It has little to do with getting caught up in the world with all of its expectations, all of its demands, and all of its apparent attractions.  It is a turning inward to discover the rich treasure that lies within our own hearts, a treasure that leads to a relationship with God and with others. 

The Beatitudes found in the Gospel of Matthew are reminders to us of that reality.  "Fixing His eyes on His disciples, Jesus says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We think of the poor as being deprived of the basics of life.  So who wants to be poor?  Do you want to be poor?   Do you want to go hungry?  Of course not!  But we are poor, very poor, if we think that these outward things can satisfy the inward longing of our hearts, to be alive with God.  We are hungry, and will remain hungry, if we think an abundance of food will help us discover the treasure that lies within, at the center of our hearts.  That's why Jesus says: "Woe to you who are rich, you are having your consolation now.  Woe to you who have your fill now; you shall go hungry."  It's just another way of saying that if our focus and attention is fully given to acquiring things, if our focus and attention is given to satisfy our physical needs, then we will not be meeting the longing of our hearts to be fully alive.  We will not discover the treasure that lies within.  And that treasure will remain buried under the rubble of superficial attractions and wants.

Those who see the poverty in such outward things search for the fulfillment of that longing in God.  For them, Jesus proclaims:  "Yours is the Kingdom of God.  You shall be satisfied."  And this ties in so closely with Jesus' teaching on prayer:  "Seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened; ask and it shall be given."  These are not superficial requests to have our outward needs satisfied.  These are requests to have our hearts opened to the full realization that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that it lies within. 

Through our seeking, through our knocking on God's door, and through our asking with humble Spirits, we will experience our hunger being satisfied.  We will experience being made alive with God.

Experiencing God - Following the Holy Spirit 172

"We start by doing what’s necessary, then we do what’s possible, and suddenly, through the Holy Spirit, we are doing the impossible."  
St. Francis of Assisi

In 1964, I was 18 years old. I had just finished high school and a business course and was leaving home for my first job. I was glad to be leaving, not because I disliked my family or anything like that. I was ready to begin the task of working towards my fame and fortune. Within three years of starting work, I discovered two things that I didn’t plan or anticipate. The first was the discovery of how superficial and naïve was my plan for fame and fortune. The second, and perhaps the most surprising, was the intrusion of “faith” in my life. I call it an intrusion because this was not a part of my plan at all. I also call it an intrusion because it absolutely changed everything from that point forward. 

The Gospel accounts are also about this intrusion; the intrusion of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles, the followers of Christ and the people of the early church. It was an intrusion that changed everything for those who encountered this Advocate. The Holy Spirit opened their minds and hearts to the role that they were called to play in the development of this mystery we call church. Christ had won for them their redemption. His sacrifice put them at right with God, but then, through the Holy Spirit, these people became engaged in a restoration process. Restoration of what? What the early church discovered was a call to begin to reorder things; their attitudes, their lives, their society, in accordance with God’s plan for them.  It all had to do with the bringing about of this “Kingdom of God” of which Jesus spoke about quite frequently.

But this restoration process did not come without struggle.  The book of Acts describes what is perhaps the first crisis experienced by this early church. It’s a crisis over a matter of faith practice, and there is a very good reason for it arising. The early Christian church was born from Jewish roots. Mary, Joseph and Jesus were Jews. They practiced their faith in the Jewish synagogue. The apostles and their families and all the early followers of Jesus were Jews. After Jesus’ resurrection and their first encounters with the Holy Spirit, it would have been quite normal for the new Christians to incorporate Jewish rites in their worship and Jewish rules into their faith practice. But when the Christian faith spread to the gentiles, who neither practiced nor were familiar with these rules and rites, a problem arose. Was it a requirement that these rules be incorporated into the faith-practice of the gentiles? The important thing that happened from all this was that the church gathered and prayed about it. The church called on Holy Spirit for guidance and direction, and a decision was made. And this decision determined the whole direction for the church at that time, and the people were united around that choice.

Recently, I had to opportunity to attend a workshop on the introduction of our new Catechism program for the Archdiocese. The Archbishop gave the opening address. He opened with the fact that our church is currently going through a crisis.  As a result of this crisis, the church is no longer being heard as a credible voice of change in our society. There are many voices being listened to in this generation: political voices, the voices of individualism, the voices of consumerism, the voices of pleasure seekers, and many more. But the church is largely not one of them. He mentioned that that church has fallen somewhat in a state of disrepair and has to be rebuilt. But he mentioned quite positively that the building blocks are there. We do not have to start from the beginning. It’s just a matter of taking the building blocks that are there and putting them in place. And that is what the church is attempting to do. And the church, as it seeks the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit will accomplish that.

The Archbishop has already spoken to us at length about three of these building blocks, and I would like to mention a couple of them briefly here today. 

The first is a renewed understanding of discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ, a follower of Christ in our modern church, and through this new understanding, what are the methods and ways that we must learn to bring Christ’s message to the unchurched, particular many young families who are now absent from our community. It must be from a church guided by the Holy Spirit: a church that is able to give credible witness to Christ in our lives and in the world. In order for us to be that church, the Archbishop says that we must redefine our methods of being a disciple of Christ.

And this leads to the Archbishop’s second building block; that of becoming witnesses to our faith to others. We are not use to this. As church, we are use to people coming to us. You may recall one of Kevin Costner’s old movies “Field of Dreams” where a baseball diamond was built in a corn field. The theme that ran from this movie was: “Build it and they will Come”.  This is the way our church has operated in the past.

To a very large extent, this is no longer happening. Our churches are not growing and they largely lack the presence the younger families of our community. Through prayer, we are coming to the realization that we must discover new ways to give witness to our faith and Christ in our lives. We must begin to see this as a changing mandate. The Holy Spirit is calling us now to respond to these situations in a new way.

As the apostles and the early Christian were guided by the Holy Spirit and changed in order to embrace the restoration process in the early church, so we are now being called to listen to the Holy Spirit to guide us through today’s crisis.

 From the Gospel of John, chapter 17, we hear Jesus giving one of his final talks to his disciples, his final words of instructions. We read: “The words that I give you are not mine. They come from the Father. I am telling you these things while I am still with you.  The advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will teach you everything, and remind you of all I have said.”

 Do you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us, to change our lives and the lives of others, just as He guided the apostles and the early church? Many of us have got use to the church acting in certain predictable way. We have gained a certain amount of comfort in following the status quo. Unfortunately, there is little change or growth in the status quo or becoming satisfied with being comfortable. 

We are now being challenged by the Spirit to change, so that we, as well as others, may begin to see again that God’s spirit is stirring, is alive and well in our church. When we allow this to happen, then we will again discover the means to mend and heal the many afflictions and sufferings that currently exist in our community, particularly with young families and youth.

The spirit that intruded into the lives of the apostles, the Holy Spirit that intruded in my life as a young working adult, is the spirit that changes everything. As said by St. Francis of Assisi: "We start by doing what’s necessary, then we do what’s possible, and suddenly, through the Holy Spirit, we are doing the impossible."  

Experiencing God - The Narrow Door 171

"Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” Jesus replied, Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail."
Gospel of Luke
 
In the Gospel of Luke, we hear a very interesting question asked to Jesus as He journeys towards Jerusalem.  Jesus doesn't really answer the question but encourages the person to try to enter by the narrow door.  So what is this narrow door that Jesus speaks about, the door that many will try to enter, but not succeed? 

In order to figure out what this narrow door is, we must turn to Jesus Himself.  We must examine His life and see how He lived.  How did He live differently from the many other people of His time? 

Our reflection will lead us to St. Paul's letter to the Philippines which for me helps to describe this narrow door.  "Although Jesus was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied Himself, taking a form of a slave." 
 
To empty oneself can be a difficult concept to explain, little long to live.  It goes against what we are ordinarily inclined to do when left to our limited human resources.  Emptying ourselves of "self" is not what our culture portrays as the "thing to do".  The emphasis of our culture is to look after "self", get what is fair for "self", and in many cases, to exalt "self", often through the vehicles of power, recognition and prestige.  But this is not Jesus' way.  It is not what He portrays as narrow door that leads to the Father. 
 
To empty "oneself" is not putting "oneself" down, to be used as a doormat by others; but a knowing of who we are before God.  This means we know God's plan for us and for humanity, and we freely embrace this as a way of life.  When we do this, we live in harmony with God's plan and accept where this may lead us.  Jesus' life and our relationship with Him becomes the narrow door that we embrace. 
 
But it is not enough just to know this. We must live it. "When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But He will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ And He will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from."

In the story that Jesus told, many knew of Him.  It is said that they ate and drank with Him, listened to His teachings on the street.  But because it wasn't a lifestyle they adopted, when they knocked on the door, they were not recognized.

So this presents a real challenge.  Many who may seem to be on the right road may not be at all, and many who, at first glance, may seem to be lost are in fact walking by the right path.  The right path can only be discovered through prayer. 

The other day, I read what Pope Benedict had recently said about prayer.  "Prayer is an open window that allows us to keep our gaze turned towards God, not only for the purpose of reminding us of the goal towards which we are directed, but also to allow the will of God to illumine our earthly journey and to help us to live it with intensity and commitment." 

Is he not describing the narrow door? 

Experiencing God - Faithfulness 170

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit.  Be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that you may open the door for Him as soon as He comes and knocks."
Gospel of Luke

Jesus is saying to his disciples:  "Be Awake", Be Aware", "Be Attentive", to what is going on around you.  In this Gospel from Luke, Jesus tells His disciples a story about what it means to stay awake or to be attentive.  "You may be quite sure, if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come , he would not have let anyone break into his home." 

In telling this story, Jesus is not expressing a concern about a householder losing his personal possessions - computer, TV etc.  He is concerned about the householder losing something else, something of greater value, a treasure that sustains us in hope, in this life and the next.  It has to do with being faithful to the way of life in which we are called, a call to faithfulness.  What is faithfulness?   

To answer this question, let's move into that area of our lives where faithfulness is necessary - in our marriage. 

The main attribute of a good marriage is faithfulness.  When we think of marriage, being unfaithful will always be seen as a death to the relationship.  Therefore, unfaithfulness must be avoided at all costs. 

Faithfulness has to do with keeping ones word, keeping ones promise.  No matter how tough the situation, no matter what comes along, faithfulness requires us to remain firm in our resolve to work through the difficulties together.

Faithfulness cannot be imposed.  It is something that we must choose.  Faithfulness must be given our full attention.  And when we do give it our full attention, it has its own reward.  We all yearn for and need faithfulness in our relationships because it brings with it a quality of life, an underlining joy that is irreplaceable.  In faithfulness, we are thankful, and we celebrate life's events together. In faithfulness, we do whatever we can to make the relationship grow.  We willingly share our gifts and our resources as a sign of our faithfulness to those we love.  

“Who then is the faithful manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of." 

In telling this story, Jesus is not expressing a concern about a servant losing his personal possessions - computer, TV etc.  He is concerned about the servant losing something else, something of greater value, a treasure that sustains us in hope, in this life and the next.

Experiencing God - The God who Weeps 169

"On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” She went out and said to her mother Herodias, “What shall I ask for? The head of John the Baptist,” she answered."Gospel of Mark

In 1983, Harold Kushner wrote his acclaimed national bestseller "When Bad Things Happen to Good People".  This book was his response to dealing with the tragic death of his son at a very young age.  Through his family's shared ordeal, Kushner, a clergyman and man of faith came to see God as he never had before.  He discovered a God who weeps with us during tragic times, and a God who can fill the deepest needs of an anguished heart.
 
The death of John the Baptist found in the Gospel of Mark is such a tragedy.  The above scripture text gives witness to the death of a man in his prime.  What makes it seem more tragic is the fact that his death resulted from such superficial and avoidable circumstances.  The players in this tragedy were the very people that John the Baptist was trying to help.  They were people of very short lives who got caught up in their superficial and egotistical needs. 

First we have Herodias, wife of Philip's brother, but in a wrong relationship with Philip himself.  When John the Baptist brought this to the attention of Philip, Herodias failed to see this as an honest attempt to correct the conduct of one venturing down a wrong path.  Her pride burned with anger against John until her revenge could be taken.

We also have Herodias daughter, young, immature, desiring to please, and probably willing to do anything to gain the attention of others. 

And then we have Herod, a man of considerable power but a fickle heart.  He allowed his whole being to be compromised by a seductive dance, an irrational promise to a child, full of fear as to how he might appear to a bunch of his drunken friends. 

The stage is set for a tragedy, a grave injustice that would raise a question in everyone mind's as to whether true justice is possible for human kind.  What have we to learn from Herodias, her daughter, and King Herod?

Perhaps one thing we have to learn is that without God, without the power of His Spirit to guide us, to give us wisdom, strength and insight, then we too can fall prey to misjudgements that can lead to tragic results.  Without the Spirit, we have only our a human nature that yields easily to pride, power, the desire for revenge or to please at the expense of others.  When our impulsive nature sets in motion the events that lead to such tragedy, then we are referred to as lost.

We are all children of God, but if we choose to ignore or abandon God, we are left only with the weak resources of "self" to rely on.  Then God weeps for us.  God weeps because our gift of free will has been turned in on itself to spread only darkness among those who He is destined to save.  God weeps for the victims who suffer unnecessarily at the hands of others. 

When we listen to TV news or read our papers, we see this same tragic scene being played out continuously, and each time God weeps for us.  If we turn to Him, He is there to comfort our anguished hearts.  Why?  Because He loves us, hopes for us, desires to be with us, dies for us, despite our failings.

This is our faith, faith that provides the hope to go on, to continue to embrace "Emanuel", meaning "God is with us". 

In Jeremiah we read:  "Brace yourself for action; stand up and tell them all what I command.  Do not be dismayed for today I will make you into a fortified city, a pillar of iron.  For I am with you to deliver you."

Experiencing God - Our Ultimate Goal 168

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." 
Paul's letter to Corinthians
 
You've all heard the expression:  "Love does not put food on the table".  It's a comment usually directed to young couples who wish to get married but are unable to support themselves.  But there is another quote given by Viktor Frankl:  "Love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire". 
 
Viktor Frankl was a survivor of four different Nazi death camps during the second world war, including Auschwitz.  These camps claimed the lives of his mother, father, wife, and brother.  He was stripped of everything during these years of imprisonment, down to the bare bones of his humanity, but during his ordeal, he wrote that he still experienced moments of bliss and consolation, especially when he thought about his beloved wife, parents and brother and other who were near him. 
 
In no uncertain terms, Frankl learned that love was his salvation; that among all the virtues that offered him a source of personal meaning, it was love that proved to be his ultimate and highest goal.
 
In first Corinthians chapter thirteen, we read St. Paul's beautiful definition of love, a scripture that is often read at weddings.  "Be ambitious for the higher gifts.  In short, there are three things that last; faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love."  St. Paul tells us that we can have many things; things that we may devote a lifetime to attain; things that capture our time, energy, and concentration; but if love is not the motivation behind their acquisition, than they are only the noise of a misdirected life. 

Viktor Frankl was stripped of all of these things, but love remained, and it was love that saved him.

In Matthew's gospel, Jesus is saying:  "To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces calling out to others"

Jesus is comparing what He sees with children playing games.  When children play games, the most important thing is for others to join in.  If you are having a dance, come and share in the dancing.  Don't just sit as a critical observer on the sidelines.  If it is a moment of loss, then join with the others in this moment of grief, and provide the comfort that is needed. 

Jesus observed that many people of His generation were not willing to open themselves up to the actions of God, and were acting like obstinate children who refused to take part.  They preferred to sit on the sidelines and criticise.  They found excuses to reject John the Baptist and called him a demon, and then used the opposite excuse to reject Jesus.  "God's wisdom however will prove its validity.  Validity will be revealed to those who embrace the Kingdom of God.

What Jesus was seeing in His generation were many violations of love.  He saw those who witnessed God's plan, but instead of participating, only criticized what they saw.  

But to those who could see love as their ultimate goal, He said:  "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

Experiencing God - Abide with Me 167

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me."
Gospel of John

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says:  "Abide in me as I abide in you".  In the Jerusalem Bible, this is translated:  "Make your home in me as I make mine in you".  Abide means, "to dwell with", or "to make your home with".  Note that Jesus is not just saying "abide in me".  He is also saying: "as I abide with you".  Through His spirit, Jesus makes His home with us.  He is present with us and to us.

On the road to Damascus, Saint Paul heard the following words that resulted in his conversion to Christ:  "Saul, Saul; why do you persecute me?"  And it is Saul who responds:  "Who are you Lord?  And we know the answer:  "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting". 

Why did Saul not recognize the abiding presence of Jesus before this particular moment of time?  I guess the answer to that question can apply to anyone who is against, or refuses to accept Jesus as Lord.  Their disposition is not willing or ready to accept the indwelling presence of Christ in their lives.  Something is needed, something that we by ourselves cannot do or possess, something that will open our inner eyes of faith so that we may become aware of the indwelling presence of Christ within us.  Only then will we recognize the sacredness of our own inner temple where Christ reigns with all of His abundance.

Jesus makes no secret as to how this is to be accomplished.  In the Gospel of Matthew, He says:  "Whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.  And your Father, who sees you in secret, will reward you."  This room that Jesus speaks about is not necessarily your bed room.  It is that place of inner silence within your own heart; the room that lies within each of us; the place where God dwells; the place where God wishes to reveal Himself to us.  "Seek the Lord while He can be found.  Call to Him while He is still near." 

In John's Gospel, Jesus is also saying: "Those who abide in me, and I in them, bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing."  What in fact is He saying by this?  He is saying that we cannot do the things of God by ourselves.  Two things are necessary:
1.  that we abide with God (that is we dwell with Him)
2.  as God abides with us.   

The second is God's initiative.  The first is our initiative.

When these two initiatives are present, then we in fact give God permission to act through us to do the work of building His Kingdom.  So we cannot take the credit as Saint Paul would constantly remind us.  The credit and the glory rest with God alone.

Experiencing God - Qualities of Engagement 166

I’ve recently read a story about a young priest currently working in Russia. He had become somewhat of a spiritual magnet as a result his first book, which is apparently now very popular in his country. 

In his story, he said that he was brought up an atheist, typical of his generation in Russia. When he went to university, he was a serious academic, studying books of many great writers that might help him as an author. Of the many he read, some he admired deeply, but others he held in contempt. What began to stand out to him like a beacon of light was that every author he loved and admired believed in God or in some Divine force greater than himself. And the authors that he considered portrayed a somewhat dark and controlling portrait of life were all atheist. As he reviewed again and again the list of authors he greatly admired, those who had brilliantly contributed to humanity, he could not find one who was an atheist. But among those whose political philosophies required the diminishing of the souls of humanity as a means of acquiring control and accomplishing stability, there was no such thing as a belief in God. 

As he walked the streets of Moscow, pondering this insight, he came upon an old Russian Orthodox church. He stood in front of it for an hour, terrified to walk in, but finally slipped in the back. From there he could see the church’s altar, and for the first time, all the religious icons that were so familiar to this Orthodox tradition. He said: “I just looked at the altar and felt something coming towards me and then into me. All I could say to myself was, “Oh my God": and I knew I would never leave.

As the story goes, he heard God call his name. He said “yes”, and their awakened in him a unique grace that directed him to do what he would never have considered doing before. He never before had an image of himself as a loving man, attending to thousands of people, or speaking to them about how to cope with the burdens of life, and how to hold their families together through difficult times. His old self did not see the people in this way. His old self only saw them as weak, broken, and useless. But now he saw them as his flock which he is called to tend with patience, love and compassion.

Today, growing dynamic communities of faith are usually described as having the quality of engagement.  Engagement!   What is it? 

Engagement has to do with belonging, being part of the family of faith. Its focus is not so much on programs and activities. It has more to do with relationships.  

Just as we need to be engaged with members of our family to build family, we also have to be engaged with people of faith in order to build faith communities. 

What are the qualities of engagement? How would we describe an engaged person of faith?

As we explore this particular question, what becomes evident is that engaged people have, at some point, experienced something that have brought them to the conclusion that faith is important. The actual experience itself is very different from person to person. For some, it is what they experienced growing up in a family of faith. For others it is a weekend retreat experience. And for others, it is a person or persons of faith encountered at a certain point in their lives. 

The common thread that flowed from each of these experiences is that something of value has been discovered, something worth investing in. Engaged people are willing to let go of other things in order to make their faith a priority. 

When Jesus was describing the Kingdom of God, He referred to it as a treasure hidden in a field which brings joy; and for the one who discovers it, they are willing to sell off everything else in order to buy this field. This is the thread woven into each of the experiences of an engaged person.

What are some common characteristics of an engaged person?  When we explore the characteristics, we discover these same qualities in an active, engaged and growing family. 

The first characteristic is that an engaged person finds it necessary to spend private time in prayer with God. Families cannot be nourished or grow without some quality time of being together:  Husbands with wives, parents with children. Engaged people of faith, cannot be nourished in their relationship with God without some discipline in prayer, time for being with God; not just saying prayers, but also reflective listening and being present. 

The second characteristic is that an engaged person had a need to be involved in community worship. This is where they encounter Christ.  For those whose faith is a way of life, then community worship was necessary, and it was not done out of obligation, but out of a desire to grow and to be nourished in a way of life.

The third characteristic is the need to be connected with other people of faith through something other than community worship. For the health and well being of family, there certainly is a need for those activities that lead to the connection among family members. A choice of faith as a life style also requires that one be a part of a small group of some sort to which they can make a connection.  There is no consistency on what type of group this might be, but some kind of connection is necessary for a life of faith.

Fourthly, an engaged person also has to be involved in some way in the use of their talents, gifts and strengths in a service to others and to meet the needs of the community. Again, the places this might happen are varied, but engaged people see that some type of service, or a sharing of strengths, is necessary for a life of faith.  In our families, we each have our part to play; we each have our responsibilities to make it a homogeneous unit. In a community of faith, it is no different.

And finally, as in family relationships, engaged persons all share the responsibility of supporting their community of faith through the sharing of their resources, not only to support the functioning of the community but to help those in need.

None of these things are original. When the disciples asked Jesus about what they must do, what is expected of them, He suggested that they practice the three pillars of piety: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Most if not all of these five characteristics are contained in the principals of stewardship of time, talent and treasure. 

In the Gospel of Matthew, a scribe asks Jesus a question: "What commandment is the greatest?” The answer:  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all of your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 

It is evident that, first of all, this must be a choice in a way of life. It is not something that can be imposed upon us from the outside. It must be something that is accepted and embraced.  But why this choice? Why not choose to spend our time and our lives getting what we feel is fair for ourselves?   I would like to suggest that the choice to love God and love neighbor, in other words, to choose a life of faith, has its own rewards.

The dysfunction we see in our society, the sufferings we see around us, is often the result of improper choices,--- choices where the basics of faith and faith experience are absent. This is what the Russian priest noticed in the writings of the many political philosophers that he examined, something that led him to the realization of the importance of bringing Christ into the choices he made. 

What words can we use to describe that which flows from faith? The words that come to my mind are: wholeness, balance, fullness, completeness, a new vision, hope that sustains, and a joy of living what we know to be the truth of the Gospel. We become aware of a path that leads to life when we embrace our faith, and see Jesus as the way, truth and life to guide us. What Jesus says to the scribe applied equally to us as we embrace the answer that he gave: "When we love God, and love neighbor, we are not far from the Kingdom of God”.

Experiencing God - To be First 165

"Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Gospel of Luke
 
Many years ago, right after our marriage, my wife and I attended several funerals for some of her elderly family members. I recall making a comment to her after one of those funerals. “My goodness you have a lot of deaths in your family; more than in mine.” Time would prove me very wrong.  The incidents of death of family members have proven to be pretty much the same. It’s just a matter of timing.

It’s strange how we prefer not to think of death. We all know that someday we will die.  This knowledge is in our heads, yet many of our everyday decisions and actions seem to indicate that life will go on forever. We so often dismiss the fact that dying is a part of life, and that life has its own purpose to fulfill, a purpose that can so easily be dismissed. If we were more fully aware that we have only a certain length of time in years and days, we would probably respond too many of life’s situations quite differently. We read in psalm 90: “Teach us, O Lord, to count up the days that are ours, and we shall come the heart of wisdom.”
  
"And Jesus began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

In the gospel above, Jesus is trying to explain to his disciples his own impending death. It is meant to prepare and to help them discover their own inner purpose for life, and to make the changes that are necessary.

Often, when someone hits us with a bombshell like this, particularly when it concerns illness and dying, we have difficulty to take it in. The words said often escape our understanding, and we end up dismissing it.

For the disciples, what Jesus told them did not make sense.  It did not fit in with their understanding of what Jesus came to do. It did not fit in with their plans as to how they saw things unfolding. So they dismissed what he said. We read in the gospel that they didn’t even raise any questions about it. They continued to do things as they normally would. Part of the message that Jesus was trying to convey to his disciples was that dying is a part of life. Sooner or later, it comes to all of us, often sooner than we may think.

But if we can first learn to die to self; if we can first learn to empty ourselves of “self”, of excessive self-concern, we will discover that death is not how we imagine it to be. Death is only a transition, one door that opens to something else. If we really know this, and believe it in your heart, it will change us. It will change the way we live our lives now. Jesus was calling his disciples to change the way they lived from the ordinary way of doings things, to believe and live the gospel message.

It must have been embarrassing for them when they discovered that Jesus overheard their conversation as they were walking along the road: "For they were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest."  Who among them would Jesus reckon to be the favorite?

But Jesus is very much aware of their human way of thinking, and he uses this moment for another teaching. He takes a little child, and places her before them where she is clearly seen, and tells them: “If you welcome this small child in my name, then you welcome me, and if you welcome me, you also welcome the one who sent me.   In God’s Kingdom, if you want to be first, then choose to be last. If you want to be great, then be a servant to all."   

So Jesus turned upside down his disciples’ idea of greatness, and challenges them to move away from their ordinary way of thinking about greatness.

The disciples would have known that a child had the lowest status of all in society. Children represented the least among the people. To welcome and to serve this child would means being a servant to the least of those among them.

The message of Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel, and his message to us is clear: “Whoever of us who wants to be first, choose to be last."   If we want what’s best for ourselves, then we have to consider what is best for others, to be a servant of others, particularly the most vulnerable of our society. Jesus not only taught that, but he lived it, and died for it so that we may know the meaning and purpose of our lives. It is a radical change from the way we ordinarily think, and the way we ordinary act, a change that challenges us deeply. And when we really hear it, and understand it, and not dismiss it, we discover it to be a source of new life now, and the path that leads to eternal life with God. 

The gospel is not about radical idealism. My own personal experience is that the more I can set “self” aside, the more I experience my greatest joy, my greatest appreciation for life, my greatest thankfulness for the gift that it is, and my closest experience of God who wants to be present and active in my life.

There’s definitely a tension between the message of our culture, and the message of the Gospel. At times, we can feel it strongly. In order to not get caught up in the tug and pull of this tension, three things are necessary.

1.  We need to take refuge in prayer.
2.  We need to take refuge in the teachings of Christ and scripture.
3.  We need to take refuge in the community where we encounter Christ in in so many different ways. 
 
Through prayer, we discover that the message of the Gospel brings hope. It speaks of a better world where people care for each other and can bring life to each other. It speaks of God who loves us beyond our wildest imagination, who calls us into relationship. It assures us that even in death, we have nothing to fear for we have the joy of knowing that Christ continues to be present with us, and prepares a place for us.

Experiencing God - Choices 164

"As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Book of Joshua

 The above scripture quote is about choices. In the book of Joshua, the Israelites are settled in their new home land after wandering in the desert for some forty years. They are getting comfortable in their new surroundings, and enjoying their new found stability and prosperity. Perhaps they are becoming self-sufficient. Joshua, their leader, calls them together and presents a challenge. “If you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve.”

 Joshua is quite definitive about his challenge. Here are your alternatives. Now make up your minds. Decide. And he continues with the well- known quote that we are all familiar with: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

 This challenge caused the people to rethink their roots, to look at where they came from, to reconnect with the God who was with them in their best times and in their worst. They remembered again the God who guided them out of slavery to their place of security, who held them together during their many struggles. So they, with Joshua, choose to continue to follow and serve the God of their ancestors.   

Do you have that experience in your life of God who has always been with you, somehow connected with you in the decisions you have made, somehow providing what was needed by you during your times of difficulty, being their at that every moment?  

As I was reflecting on this reading, the question that came to mind was: Would Joshua’s challenge work today?  

Today, we live in a culture, a society that has developed a certain pride in the right to make our own decisions. There are so many voices out there that are competing for our attention. As a result, we have grown excessively strong on our rights to make our own individual choice, and we are not so much influenced by choices made by others. The emphasis seems to be on self-determination. I have the right to decide what is best for me and the direction my life. Regrettably, something may have been lost as a result of this. We may have lost our sensitivity as to how our choices affect others, and, as a result, therefore, creating more confusion in our relationships with one another.  

I read recently of a student who asked his spiritual counsellor:  "Why is there so much suffering and conflict these days between men and women in their family relationships?"  The counsellor answered: "It's quite simple.  People today have given to much important to the exercise of their personal right and freedom to make their choice, and this is spilling over into relationships." He continued: "Their rights tend to be expressed too strongly, too extremely, and often too superficially without giving consideration to how they are affecting others. As a result, there is increased dissatisfaction in relationships. The love in a marriage relationship, he continued, is for the purpose of making two people into one, but our insistence on our personal individual rights and self- determination make this almost impossible to accomplish. You need to make time and space for the other person." 

I believe you will agree that we all wish and need to make our own decisions as to what we feel is best for us, but how do we create a proper balance in determining what is best for us and the ones we love?  There’s a statement made by the Jesuit, Fr. Matthew Linn that answers it best for me. He says:

 “The final test for hearing God’s will is whether the living out of my decisions brings life to, not only me, but to the others in my life".  Do the choices you make bring life, not only to you, but to the others in your life?   

Many today would argue that St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is out-of-date for today’s culture, but I believe the meaning of the message he is trying to convey is similar to this balance that we are struggling to create. “Wives to be subject to their husbands as they are to the Lord, and husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved His Church."

I am more closely connected with my wife than any other person, I love her very much and I know she loves me too, but I have to admit that the word “submit” has ever been a household word expressed during our forty-four years of marriage; but the balance we seek in the decisions we make are seen in the context of our faith and the power of the spirit to help guide us in making these decisions.  There is a place for church, its teaching and a practice of strong faith to create the proper balance between our right to decide and our need for each other. When we ask the question: does this choice bring life, not only to me, but to the other in my life, we seem to fair all right.

There’s an old but beautiful Buddhist expression: “All the unhappiness in the world come from those who are trying to find happiness only for themselves. All the happiness in the world comes from people who are trying to make other people happy." This has to do with “giving attention”.   And whether that person is your spouse, or a stranger, when we “give attention” or "pay attention", we are making them our neighbor in the true sense of the gospel message. 

Experiencing God - Faith 163

I would like to share a story I found in one of the Chicken Soup series:

"On night in April, 1997, Andrew was having a routine evening at work. Andrew was the supervisor for the local emergency medical services that provides life emergency support. He was hoping for a quiet end to his shift when a call came over his radio that there was an unconscious person at the local Kmart. He turned his truck in the direction of the strip mall. He would be backup and support to a team of paramedics that responded ahead of him.

When Andrew arrived, a middle aged man was sitting in the shoe department acting somewhat confused. The man was talking with the ambulance crew, then became unresponsive, and then began responding again. Within a few minutes, however, he was unconscious, and on the floor. When the paramedics placed the heart monitor on the man’s chest, they saw on the display what they call a fatal heart rhythm. His heart was beating incredibly fast and not effectively pumping blood to his vital organs. In that state, he wouldn’t be able to survive long.

The team began their work. They quickly administered the prescribed medications and contacted the emergency department doctor to give them orders. Soon, however, it was obvious that the medications had failed to work and the man’s condition worsened. Their next step was to defibrillate him with an electric current to attempt to get his heart back into healthy rhythm.

After an initial electric shock, the man came around but then deteriorated, and again lost consciousness. After another electrical shock, he was brought to consciousness. But instead of calm and compliant behavior, he was belligerent and was obviously quite angry with them. The man was transported to the emergency department at the hospital close by, and Andrew returned home from his shift. He was perplexed that the man seemed so angry with them for saving him, while most people are grateful beyond words.

About a month later a letter arrived at the emergency department addressed to the ER staff and ambulance crew. The letter was from the man whom they’d rescued in the shoe department at Kmart.

In the letter he thanked everyone for their love and support toward him when he needed them. He said that he since undergone bypass surgery and had a device implanted in his heart that would keep his heart rhythm normal, and he was growing stronger every day. He also apologized for getting angry with the crew when they revived him. The rest of his letter read:

I will never be fully able to thank you for what you’ve done for me, but I will be trying to move forward with the rest of my life, making it as vibrant and positive as possible as an example to others who may be ignoring their health in the way that I did. Then he wrote: I went to heaven, at least twice. It was a glorious experience and I still revel in the sense of peace and serenity I experienced in those few brief moments. I now fully understand and accept that it was not my time to go. I know enough now to not fear death, but to love and respect life, and to seek the plan I know God still has for me. For the rest of my life, I have the pleasure of living now, with more than a mere belief in God and the place He has waiting for us, but rather with the fact that these things are all very real and are meant for all who choose to follow Him." End 
Chicken Soup for Christian Souls

Many scripture readings speak of faith. What is faith? It is not something that we can easily explain, but it is something that we all experience at some level. The words of the man who was revived by the Paramedics describe it well. “For the rest of my life, I have the pleasure of living now with more than a belief in God and the place He has waiting for us, but rather with the fact that these things are all very real and are meant for all who choose to follow Him.” Faith is something that you know with certainly in your heart, something that affects your life and the direction that it takes, but cannot be proven in our ordinary ways of proving things.

The prophets in Old Testament were people of faith, and they were called to speak to the people about faith matters, about a relationship with God, and the importance of following a way of life that was ordained by God for each of us.   

From the prophet Ezekiel we read: "A spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard one speaking to me: “Son of Man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a nation who has rebelled against me. Whether they hear or refuse to hear, they shall know that there has been a prophet among you.”

 God is quite anxious for us to hear his voice, hear the way he speaks to us, to understand His message of salvation, to live the life that we have been designed to live; but as Ann Murry’s old familiar song goes, “clouds get in our way”; clouds that block our view of the reality of God and His love for us; clouds that create an illusion that life has only to do with the things that we can see, the things we can explain, and the things we can possess.

  In psalm 123, we hear an appeal to faith: To you, I lift up my eyes, O you, who are enthroned in the heavens. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, so my eyes look to the Lord who has mercy on us.” The psalmist is speaking about our attentiveness. “As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, so my eyes look to the Lord.” Where is our attentiveness? Is our attentiveness on God, and his plan for us, or is it on the many other things that distract us from even thinking of God?

St. Paul was a man of incredible faith. On the road to Damascus, his eyes were opened to the presence of Christ in such a way that his life was transformed from the one who persecuted Christians, to one who brought faith in Christ to all areas of the known world. It was faith, not something he could verify with some tangible evidence or proof, that became the driving force behind all his actions. You might say that he was very attentive to God. In his letter to the Corinthians, he is writing about something in his life that seems, or at least he feels, to be an obstacle to his faith. He calls it “a thorn that was given in the flesh", something that he prayed many times would leave him. We don’t know what it is, but perhaps it is something that we ourselves can relate too. We all have things in our lives that we would rather not live with.  If only I were bolder, if only I could have that dynamic personality or strength or gift, if only I were a dynamic speaker, and so on. We perhaps all have out lists, our demands, of things we would like to get rid of (or gain) in order to be more perfect. 

The conclusions that St. Paul reached, and perhaps a conclusion we ourselves have to reach is that grace, faith, our relationship with Christ is sufficient to sustain us in all aspects of our life. These thorns, these parts of our humanity, are common to all of us, and perhaps they are there to remind us that we are saved by grace, through faith, and not by anything that we ourselves possess; so we lift our eyes and surrender to the one who is enthroned in the heavens and live in our hearts.

The man who was revived by the paramedics experienced God’s revelation to him at the time when he had surrendered all illusions about himself and the things around him. Clouds no longer got in his way. He experienced the truth. Is this also not the truth that God wants us to experience? 

Experiencing God - Church renewal 162

Last year, I attended a conference at St. Mary’s university called “Towards Healing and Renewal of Our Church”. To be truthful, I had some reluctance about going. The reason for this was because the purpose of the conference was to explore what we have learned from the sexual abuse crisis encountered in our church.  My feeling was that I just wanted to leave all that stuff behind, and get on with the business of being church, and building church. From speaking to many others, I knew they wanted the same thing. Nevertheless, despite my feelings, I found myself at this conference on a nice sunny weekend.

I carried this reluctance about being there until the Archbishop gave his opening address on Saturday morning. The Archbishop started his talk with a question, the very question I was asking myself: “Why are we bothering with this at this time? And then he proceeded to answer his own question. Because all of us here care for the church. We love the church, and we want to continue with its healing and transformation. With its healing comes a promise of new life, new possibilities.

When we enter into the life of the Church, we enter it being painfully aware that the world is not exactly the way it should be. We see at times it is not just. We see at times it is not loving. We see at times it is not as pleasant as we would like it to be. It’s as if we are constantly waiting to become that which we are not, and to change what is necessary to accomplish this. So we come into the Church carrying all of these struggles and fears, but also hopeful and with an expectation that with God, anything is possible.

 From Jeremiah, we hear the prophet say to the people: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the House of Israel."   Strangely enough, not very many people were banking on God’s promise when Jeremiah uttered these words. This was a time of great turmoil for the Israelite people. It was a time when the Kingdom of Israel was torn apart, practically being wiped off the map with the Northern Kingdom separated from Southern Judah, and Judah itself on red alert because of the invading Babylonians. The question that was probably foremost on the minds of the people at that time was: "How many of us will be left to be the recipient of God’s promise?" But even at this darkest moment, Jeremiah knew the power contained in a prophecy of hope, a hope that would be subsequently fulfilled.

One could draw some parallel between Jeremiah’s time and today. As we view our TV news headlines, we are witnessing some of the unspeakable carnage caused by suicide bombers and wars, or the number of massive natural disasters, all taking countless lives and leaving mothers and children displaced and homeless. So we need to hear today Jeremiah’s message of hope expressed some 2600 years ago. And that message is, despite what we may be experiencing in our world, that Christ, the just shoot of David, has indeed come into the world, and is present through His spirit in the midst of the carnage and pain. He has been born among us – Emmanuel – God is with us – and he does not give up on us despite all that we may encounter, or despite all the ways we may fail. These can be comforting words during disturbing times.

 St. Paul also echoes this as well. “Our God is in our midst. May He make you increase and abound in love for one another, and for all. May He strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before Him."   St. Paul is reminding us that the virtue of love makes us whole, makes us a new creation. God is not distant, a controlling policeman in the sky. God is with us. God lives here, in the love within an affirming family and in our faith community of which we are all apart. With God, all things are possible.

The gospels call us to a firm faith, a faith that requires us to believe that Christ’s light can shine through any darkness, that Christ’s light can conquer any fear. When His light and love come into our world, then nothing can hurt us because we are assured of the presence of Christ, a presence with the power to change and transform the darkness we see around us. The Church is there to remind us that the Kingdom of God is among us, expressed constantly in acts of heroism, of patience and understanding, in honest and unselfish service, and in the thousands of instances where people are striving and committed to justice and peace.

 What the Archbishop said in his opening remarks at the conference on Healing and Renewal, applied equally to us as we enter this New Life that Christ promises.   Why bother? We bother because we care. We care for the Church. We bother because our love for the Church and its message of hope leads to a healing and transformation of our hearts, and moves us towards doing good, and correcting the injustices we see around us. We bother because we experience the possibilities that come from knowing Christ and living by His Spirit.

Experiencing God - Attentiveness is to pray 161

"My brothers and sisters, some have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided?
First Corinthians

Saint Paul was a community builder. He knew what was needed at a particular point in time to engage the people he encountered. He could be inviting and attentive to the people's needs, or challenge them to grow in their faith. He was a master at "paying attention" to whatever would arise in order to provide what was needed at that moment. Such discernment would require much prayer on his part.  

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is dealing with a problem that has risen in their community. The people are taking sides. They are picking the leader that they favor based on personal preference, and then creating division over their choice. As a result, a lot of wrangling and jealousy was creeping into their discussions. Paul gives his attention to this matter, and challenges them to look at what is happening and what they are doing.

In a sense, we are all called to be pastors for one another. Churches are such that no one person can do it alone. We have to know when to be inviting, when to encourage, when to make that emotional connection with another, in order to create an environment that is welcoming and safe. This is how relationships begin. This is how relationships are nourished. And then again, we have to be attentive to those circumstances that occur that give way to divisions and factions, and not contribute to their escalation. This requires our attentiveness - not only to see but to discern the corrective action that will lead to unity. Without prayer, this is very difficult.

The Gospel story about the Good Samaritan is really a story about attentiveness. It was the Good Samaritan who saw the man at the roadside, recognized his need, and then out of compassion, stopped to care for those needs.  

The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus giving attention to the needs of those he encounters. This seems to be His prime initiative. "Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick. She had a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her.  He stood very close to her and ordered the sickness to go away. The sickness left her, and she got up and began serving them."  This story from the Gospel of Luke is just one example of Jesus' attentiveness to the needs of those around Him.  But even this incident is followed by an action that is obviously an important source of this attentiveness.  "When day light came, Jesus left the house and made His way to a lonely place to pray."

Attentiveness to the Spirit, to see what is happening and to discern how to respond is so closely linked to prayer.  In fact, when we pray, we experience Jesus giving us His attention.  It is an attention that guides us personally in our day to day decisions.  It is this same attention that guides our communities in their times of tensions and difficulties.  Without prayer, we have only our somewhat compulsive and limited human ways to direct us.  We become like sheep without a shepherd, subject to the prey of whatever may come along.  If Jesus had to pray for discernment, then we surely need to pray as well. 
 

Experiencing God - Living fully 160

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, even their own life--such a person cannot be my disciple."
Gospel of Luke

On the first reading of this Gospel, Jesus' message seems overly harsh.  The word "hate" when used in our English language is interpreted as the opposite to love, so we automatically conclude that Jesus is saying that we cannot love those closest to us.  If we examine the Biblical commentary for the meaning of this passage, we discover that the word "hate", as used in the context of this Gospel reading, means "to prefer less".  In other words, put God first.

I would even suggest that to effectively love those closest to us (that is to know and to act upon what is best) we must first be deeply rooted in God, and to seek God's will and direction in the choices we make.  

The radical Gospel message of the cross first requires us to take that difficult step of relinquishing "self" in favor of surrendering to do God's will; to prefer less self and others.  "Father, if possible, let this cup pass me by, but your will, not mine, be done."  Jesus' act of submission to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane proved to be the greatest act of love that changed the course of history, and opened the way to reconciliation and peace for all mothers, fathers, children, friends etc.  Jesus' act of love comes at a very great cost to "self".  It is only in our acts of surrender to God that we can effectively love those who are entrusted to our care. 

St. Paul's letter to the Philippians emphasizes this as well.  Paul asks us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in us, enabling us to act in accordance with His will.  It really is silly for us to live our lives in contradiction to God's plan.  It's like pretending to be something we are not.  We can still pretend, but it does not make it real, and because it is not real, little flows from it.

St. Paul says in Philippians:  "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe".  

Experiencing God - Our Own Unique Call 159

"The Lord then came and stood by Samuel, calling as He had done before: Samuel, Samuel.  Samuel answered:  Speak Lord, your servant if listening."
Book of Samuel

This scripture reference has to do with the call of Samuel.  It's a beautiful story about a young boy who, during a time of quiet retirement, kept hearing his name being called.  Thinking it might be his custodian, the chief priest Eli, he goes running to him to see what he wanted.  And, of course, it was not the chief priest at all.

We imagine a lot of mystery surrounding a vocational call. As a result, stories such as this catch our attention and interest.  But if we examine closely those intuitively experiences of being drawn to respond to life's events, we discover that most are fairly common and quite ordinary.  Do you have recollections of your own unique call from the Lord?   What is it that puts that desire on your heart and motivates you to attend a church service, visit a friend in the hospital, or volunteer for some needed service?  These responses can often feel quite ordinary and undramatic.

If we look at these responses closely, we will find certain characteristics that are common to all.  They usually occur during times of quiet.  These are the times when we are most attentive to the urgings of the Spirit within us.  They usually happen when our focus is on prayer, in whatever form that may take for us.  It might happen when reflecting on a line of scripture, doing some spiritual reading, or just placing ourselves quietly before the Lord.  These are times when we are freed from the distractions of our busy day, when we can let go of our goals, agendas, plans which constantly seem to be churning in our minds.  These times could be described as moments of "attentive listening".  "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." 

Jesus was a master at "attentive listening". Scripture often has Jesus pulling away from all the activity and hub bub, to go to a quiet place, alone, to pray and to listen. 

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we read the story of Jesus healing Simon's mother-in-law, and then welcoming many of the people of that town who come with all sorts of illnesses and infirmities.  Jesus impresses them with His ability to help them.  But when the opportunity comes, He draws away to a quiet place to pray.  Jesus was not one to get caught up in the goals, plans and expectations of those around Him.  He experienced the need to respond to the still quiet voice from within, and not be driven by past successes or failures.  Take note of the difference between Him and His disciples.  They were still caught up in the excitement of the previous day.  In their excitement, they probably wanted a repeat performance.  "Everyone is looking for you"; they said to Jesus after they found Him.  Jesus' response, based on quiet prayer, must have been a disappointment to them. "Let us go elsewhere, to the neighboring country sides, so that I can teach there, because this is why I came."

How do you experience your own unique call from the Lord?  Giving witness to this in one way we have to spread the faith of Christ to others.  Let us pray that our own unique call may be a source of inspiration to others to help them discover theirs as well.