An Unlikely Choice

Tags

choices, Jesus, sinner, St. Matthew, tax collector, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, traitor

Sometimes we are surprised by the choices people make. Often that’s because we can’t see with our eyes the workings of anyone else’s mind – or occasionally even our own. I had two conversations yesterday about trusting what we can’t see or yet know and how that is sometimes what we have to do when we are unable to clearly evaluate how the options we are considering (“Do I or don’t I?”) will work out.

Today is the feast of St. Matthew, one of the four evangelists credited with writing the gospels. I was interested to see what the folks at http://www.franciscanmedia.com would say about him and it was there that I found the thesis statement above that I offer as our “thought for the day.” Here’s what Father Don Miller, OSF said. See how it resonates with you as an example of the unusual choice and what the consequences might be.

Matthew was a Jew, but he worked for the Romans as a tax collector. His fellow Jews considered him a traitor and resented him. The Pharisees viewed him, and all tax collectors, as a sinner. So it was a real shock to hear that Jesus called such a man to be one of his followers. But that’s the kind of thing Jesus did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riches

Tags

balance, certainty, choices, corruption, gift of life, money, poverty, power, precious jewel, psalm 49, responsibility, riches, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, troubled times, wealth, wisdom's words

All of the readings today speak of the danger of riches. We have seen how our culture fuels our desire for more – whether it be money or power – and the corruption that ensues in many cases when “more” is achieved. Clearly there are very rich people who do amazing and generous things with their money – Warren Buffett, for instance – but responsibility with wealth only comes from the development of a discerning heart and a life of understanding that we are, not just in theory, brothers and sisters in this world.

Psalm 49 begins with the psalmist calling for attention to “wisdom’s words” regarding riches as he develops his argument in a framework that we might call “you can’t take it with you.” Listen well, my people, you who live on earth pay heed. Whether you are rich or poor, born high or low, it does not matter now. For wisdom’s words apply to you… He then asks a question that we would do well to ponder, and answers it for himself. Should I be terrified in troubled times, when evil dogs my way, while those who trust their wealth to save boast vast prosperity? No, none of this can help us now nor buy the gift of life. Riches never bring us certainty, nor free us from the grave…Then the one certain thing is the psalmist’s conclusion: For the grave claims back our bodies and angels claim our souls, but the One with the power of life and death claims you always as its own.

As always, there is a balance to be sought here. It would be foolhardy to raise up poverty as a benefit, but striving over-much for wealth is just as futile. As I write this, I’m thinking of the family, the mother and her seven grown children, who just won over four hundred million dollars in the Powerball Lottery. They presented as a close and loving family and in the few sentences that the news channel allowed, the spokesperson and one other of them sounded balanced in what they proposed to do with the money. I will pray for them today and hope that wisdom undergirds their choices and love walks with them into a future that is filled with possibility. May they and all of us remember that we cannot buy the gift of life; thus may we hold it as a precious jewel and share it generously each day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Call and Response

Tags

Advent, be ready, choices, decisions, fishermen, Jesus, journey, Luke, Messiah, Simon Peter, St. Andrew, St. Peter, stay awake, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, vocation

I was slow this morning to answer the wake up call of my alarm. Perhaps it was the cold (20F degrees) or the fading dream that made me want just a little more time under the blankets. After surrendering to the morning 15 minutes later, armed with my first cup of hot coffee, I went to read about St. Andrew, the saint of the day. I found what I already knew: that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, a fisherman, called as one of the first disciples. There was virtually no other information about Andrew personally, except that he was the one, before the miracle of the loaves and fishes, who spoke up about the boy who had some food with him. We only have legend to tell that he preached the gospel to people in what is now Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras, now the third largest city in Greece.

Not satisfied, I dug a little deeper by reviewing all the canonical gospel stories of Andrew. In the gospels of Matthew and Mark, his call to be a disciple is recounted in the same way. Jesus is walking along the Sea of Galilee and sees Andrew with his brother, Simon, plying their trade as fishermen and calls both of them with the direct, if strange invitation: Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. In Luke’s gospel, the spotlight is on Simon Peter, who has a conversation about his unworthiness to be offered such a call by Jesus; Andrew is not mentioned until chapter six where the entire group of apostles is named. John’s version of the story is altogether different as Andrew becomes a major player. Originally a disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew and another disciple of John are present when Jesus again walks into their midst the day after John first recognizes Jesus as God’s Chosen One. They follow Jesus and when he turns around to ask what they’re looking for, they answer with a question: “Rabbi, where do you stay?” At the invitation to “Come and see,” they go along. After spending the day with Jesus, the first thing Andrew does is to seek out his brother Simon to tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” Then he brings Simon to Jesus.

All of this made me consider the notion of call and where it leads when it is heard. How was it that I came to know my vocation in life? Did it grow organically or was it a lightning bolt that shifted my perspective on everything? Did someone invite me to something I had not considered or introduce me to someone who changed my life direction? Did I hear a lecture or take a course that made things fall into place for me? And what have been the events/circumstances that have occasioned the less dramatic decisions in my life, the everyday choices I have made? How do I keep on the path every day?

In this season of Advent, when the call to “Stay awake!” and “Be ready!” is the daily message, we would do well to think on these things and sharpen our ear to hear what might be a next step on our journey.

The Narrow Gate

Tags

attention, choices, courageous actions, deep love, Do to others whatever you would have them do to you, Jesus, limits, Matthew, the narrow gate, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, travel

When I’m packing up for a trip, if I’m driving rather than going by plane, I often have several extraneous items in addition to a suitcase. It becomes sort of a game to see if I can carry everything to the car at once rather than making numerous trips. There have been occasions where maneuvering the suitcase as well as bags slung over my wrists and keys in my hand cause me to go sideways through the door of the house. Sometimes I have to admit defeat and leave something behind to retrieve when I have opened the car doors and come back for more. I thought of this today when I read the never-ending, amazing sermon that continues to deliver one-liners that are not to be ignored. This one is actually two verses long (MT 7:12-14) but worth consideration nonetheless. Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”

We have lots of choices in life. Sometimes I wish there were fewer – or even just one – so it would be easier to know what to do. I think of the two possibilities of travel to Hallelujah Farm in New Hampshire where some of our Wisdom Schools are held. While the New York State Thruway, the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate Route 91 is a speedier and wider route to take than Routes 7 & 9 through Vermont, I always choose the latter if I’m driving. Less traffic and more beauty are the criteria that I choose – even though if I get behind a truck on the two-lane road it necessitates patience. Limits call for attention – in travel and in life. Narrow roads, courageous actions, deep love…all take us out of monotony and the ordinary in our days, slowing us down to more mindful opportunities for response.

Oh, and the other line this morning is just one line, pertinent here for sure: Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. (MT 7:6) Safe travels, everyone.