Holy Doctor

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bless, Carmelite, compassion, Doctor of the Church, endurance, eyes, God, good, John Michael Talbot, love of God, ministries, mysticism, patience, religious education, Roman Catholic Church, spiritual practice, St. Teresa of Avila, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is the feast of Teresa of Avila. Because it is Sunday, always a “first class feast,” we don’t hear about Teresa this year. I find it difficult to let it go by, however, without some mention of this woman who is one of only four women thus far in the history of the Roman Catholic Church to achieve the title of “Doctor of the Church.” Sister Teresa was a mystic, but also very active, tireless in her work of reforming the Carmelite order of nuns in the 1500’s in the most rigorous – some thought too extreme – way. Her writings were extensive and her spiritual practice was constant, although for many years she suffered many physical illnesses and a deprivation of any spiritual consolation. She never despaired, even in the face of investigation by the Inquisition, and her writings are considered one of the great treasures of Christian mysticism.

My personal experience of the gift of Teresa’s influence is twofold. When I was 16 years old and considering entering the convent, I received a “holy card” inscribed with a piece of advice written by Teresa. For over 50 years I have held it close and shared it with people I thought would benefit from hearing it. I say it gratefully again today in the translation in which I received it:

Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you. All things are passing; God never changes. Patient endurance attains all things. The one who possesses God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.

Many years later, I heard a song by John Michael Talbot whose lyrics are attributed to Teresa, but not found in her writings. I offer it often when speaking to people who work in religious education or other ministries – and lately use it in any situation where I want to emphasize to people how important we are in bringing the love of God to others. Please take a moment to consider it as a word to you today.

Christ has no body now but yours; no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world.  Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes. You are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

A Teachable Moment

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Benedictine, Christ, Christian, crucifix, fullness of life, joy, Jubilee, overcome, presence of God, Roman Catholic Church, sign, spiritual journey, St. Boniface, Teilhard de Chardin, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, the way of the cross, weight of the cross

I keep trying to ignore my first thought for today’s post. It comes from the reflection I just read on the life of St. Boniface whose feast the Roman Catholic Church celebrates today. Boniface was an English Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the conversion of the Germanic tribes in the 8th century. It was not an easy task, http://www.franciscanmedia.org reports. I had determined to abandon that topic for something more upbeat or light-hearted when I read the line of the commentary following the biographical information. It said: “Boniface bears out the Christian rule: to follow Christ is to follow the way of the cross.”

While I would not dispute the teaching that suffering is part of life and that Jesus is a model of how to accept and bear one’s suffering as a transformational practice, I take issue with the inference in the above statement that the cross is the entire or desired way of life for the Christian. The often quoted line of Teilhard de Chardin provides a needed balance for me. “Joy,” he said, ” is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.”

So why am I still talking about this? As it happens, I had an experience two days ago that moved me to a deeper place. It’s one of those analogies that seems far-fetched and maybe irreverent, but it helps me so I beg the indulgence of those who do not see it so.

On Saturday I participated in a very joyous Eucharistic liturgy for the family and friends of one of my “jubilee companions.” There are only five of us who entered the convent together 50 years ago so we plan to be present, if possible, at each of these individual celebrations. My participation in this event included the task of carrying the cross in the entrance procession at the beginning of the liturgy. I had never before performed that particular task at our Motherhouse and was surprised at the weight of the heavy metal, 5-foot crucifix when I lifted it. To hold it high processing down the very long aisle to the altar was no small task. At the same time we were singing joyfully: Let us bring the gifts that differ and in splendid varied ways, sing a new Church into being, one in faith and love and praise.

What struck me in that moment was very symbolic (perhaps only to me). Feeling the weight of the cross at the same time as the joy of such a communal gathering was a powerful image of possibility in the Christian life. Although our lives can be fraught with difficulty at times, we needn’t be overcome. The joy that comes from the spiritual journey in community, modeled in the life of Christ with his companions and the Spirit that remains with us, can and must enliven faith and engage our hearts in love. These realities are not separate but constitute a unified whole that is, in fact, the way to the fullness of life.

The Chair of Peter

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"servant-authority", acknowledge human failings, Chair of Peter, cowardly, faith, humble service, impefections, impetuous, Jesus, love of Jesus, Matthew, Peter, Pope Francis, real person, Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today the Roman Catholic Church calendar commemorates Christ’s choice of St. Peter as the “servant-authority” of what has become the Church. I love that decision that Scripture tells us Jesus made (MT 16:13-19) when Peter was the one – the only one – to voice an answer to the question Jesus put to the disciples about his identity: Who do you say I am? I say that the decision pleased me because in reading the gospels it seems unlikely that Peter would be the choice for such a position. He was impetuous (jumping out of a boat, thinking he could walk on water)and cowardly at times (denying Jesus to the enemy – more than once) and missing the point of amazing moments (“Let’s stay here!” on the mountain of the Transfiguration rather than returning to ministry). I don’t think Jesus overlooked these imperfections but rather made his judgment on other things he saw in Peter that came to fruition later in the game of life. Clearly, the motivating factor in Peter’s life was his love of Jesus and his willingness to acknowledge his human failings.

I don’t know if it was serendipity or clear choice that placed an article entitled “Being Human: Pope Francis Delights Many, Frustrates Some” on the americancatholic.org website this morning next to the “Saint of the Day” column. In any case, for me the analogy is quite strong. Here is a bit of what author Cindy Wooden says after the recent visit of the Pope to Mexico.

In Pope Francis, Catholics can see a real person trying to live his faith in a complicated world. Sometimes he waves at them and they can see the frayed edges of his soutane sleeve. When his sciatica is acting up, he needs extra help going down the steps. His aides do not keep his reading glasses so sometimes he fumbles with the soutane pocket trying to get them out. Crowds “ahhh” when he tenderly strokes the face of an obviously sick person and they applaud when he gives a big hug to a child. However, they can be shocked when the human side of the pope is impatience or downright anger like it was Feb. 16 in Morelia, Mexico, when one of the thousands of people who grab at the pope at public events yanked him, pulling him on top of a person seated in a wheelchair. “What’s the matter with you?” the pope snapped. “Don’t be selfish!” While security officers helped the pope back up, Pope Francis caressed the face of the boy he’d fallen on.

It’s a great article and God’s Spirit certainly knew the right thing in the choice of this successor to the “Chair of Peter.” There is much more to Pope Francis than these homely moments illustrate and the rest of the article shows. Love of God and all others as well as willingness to answer the call to humble service are the hallmarks of this Pope’s life. What an example! What a blessing he is! I will take him with me as companion today and try to follow his example in every encounter. And I will pray in thanksgiving for this extraordinary gift of presence in our Church for all the world.

 

Proclaim a Fast

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abstinence, Ash Wednesday, consciousness, fasting, food, fundamental human right, hungry, Isaiah, Lent, Lenten journey, oppessed, Roman Catholic Church, sharing, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unjust

My mind is racing already after reading the lectionary texts today. I don’t know if I can settle on one topic emerging from the message of Isaiah. Perhaps it isn’t always necessary to be able to wrap my words up into a tight, cohesive package. I may just strive this morning for coherence and leave cohesion by the wayside. We’ll see how it goes.

Here is what Isaiah shouts today in God’s name on the topic of fasting that definitely reverberates down through the ages. Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high!…This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them and not turning your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn and your wound shall quickly be healed. (IS 58:1-9A)

On Wednesday (Ash Wednesday, still an official day of fast and abstinence in the Roman Catholic Church – one of only two in Lent these days) I was so aware of my eating. Running through my mind was the rule that “two small meals equal the one main meal” and “no meat at any meal.” The challenge was not finding what I could eat to fit that description but in the second part of the stricture of no eating between meals. The issue was consciousness. Happily, I was on the road working about 80 miles away from home because when I’m home the challenge is always to notice when I pick up a cracker or a grape walking through the kitchen if I feel hungry – or even if not. But there was the moment on Wednesday when I stopped to fill my car’s gas tank at a station with a convenience store attached. I had to remind myself not to go in and pick up a candy bar or a small bag of potato chips, “just in case…” Food is so accessible in my life; I need to be more responsible to that fact.

Yesterday I read an article in the semi-annual publication of our province of Sisters of St. Joseph. Our Social Justice Coordinator was writing about a collaboration between two organizations uniting to fight hunger. One, Great Nations Eat, is using the technology of media like TV, radio, or even billboards and internet like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to raise consciousness. “We put a man on the moon. Feeding our people shouldn’t be rocket science” and “America can’t be great on an empty stomach” are two of their slogans aimed at making people think. The other organization, Share Our Strength, is similarly motivated to call on Americans to unite in the effort to fight hunger. “It [hunger] affects the life of one in six Americans. That doesn’t happen in any other developed nation. It shouldn’t happen here,” says founder and CEO, Billy Shore. “Ending hunger is possible. It will take public awareness and political outreach to build the necessary national will…”

So it isn’t just about eating or not eating; it’s more about consciousness that setting free the oppressed and unbinding the yoke of others in our midst or in our world can start with feeding the hungry. Here recent images on the news of emaciated children in war-torn places in the Middle East come to mind. It’s all connected and we are all responsible. My province of the Sisters of St. Joseph has committed us to address this issue in the following ways: 1. to promote and to advocate for the recognition and realization that food is a fundamental human right, and 2. to be part of developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to end hunger on the local, national and international levels. That is a big order and it is clear that we do not assume we can do it alone. Even small steps, tiny actions are important. On yesterday’s local news, for example, there was a report of elementary school children from Owego, NY – a rural area – collecting cans of soup last week in the run-up to the Super Bowl game to donate to homeless people served by the Tioga County rural outreach organization directed by one of our Sisters. These children gave Sister Mary 524 cans of soup and learned a great lesson of caring at the same time.

Enough! We all have our own work to do to respond to God’s call through Isaiah. Who will you notice on your Lenten journey who needs your help? How will you recognize his/her hunger? What will you do to feed it? And what about me? What will I do next time? It’s about each of us and all of us. May we walk together into a brighter, more caring future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baptism

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baptism, Baptism of the Lord, cleansing of sins, humility, immersion, initiation, Jesus, John the Baptist, Messiah, O bless the Lord my soul, Roman Catholic Church, strengthened faith, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I was three weeks old when I was baptized into the worldwide communion of Roman Catholic Church in the “lower church” (undercroft) of Our Lady Help of Christians with my father and godparents (and maybe a few others) in attendance. Thinking about that this morning on this feast of the Baptism of the Lord made me reflect on how the ritual and understanding of baptism in our Church has evolved even in the span of my lifetime.

Taking it all the way back to Jesus, it’s interesting to read all of the canonical gospels as they differ slightly, especially in the role of John, the Baptizer. John, the one we call the “forerunner” is very popular in his preaching and draws large crowds when he preaches, usually close to some body of water, his purpose to invite people to immersion which symbolizes being washed clean of their sins. Some think he is the long-awaited Messiah, but he says no to that, promising that the one they are waiting for is much greater than he, whose sandals he is not even worthy to loosen. So humility is the order of the day when Jesus arrives asking humbly for baptism and John, recognizing him, saying that Jesus should be the one baptizing him.

The ritual still has that flavor of humility, seen most clearly when the candidates are adults who bend their heads over a font or plunge themselves into a pool to be cleansed of sin and live a new life. Now, however, the baptism is understood and celebrated as the initiation of a new member into the Christian community and is cause for great joy and responsibility on the part of the members. I am always moved by such celebrations, whether for an adult who has made a conscious decision to embrace the spiritual path to which baptism is the gateway or for the child whose parents and godparents pledge to raise their child in the faith.

While I don’t remember the actual event of my own baptism, I do know the seriousness with which my parents undertook my education in faith and the love of God which was the center of their lives. Today then, I bless their memory and offer gratitude to God for all those people who have strengthened my faith and deepened my understanding of life in God and in community. Rejoicing in this truth, I sing with the psalmist: O bless the Lord, my soul!