(Article was written by our son, David)
It is no secret that evangelization has become a priority throughout the Church since the Second Vatican Council. In the encyclical Redemptoris Missio Pope John Paul II wrote that evangelization “is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity in the modern world.” Mass media technology today provides the Church a fantastic opportunity to engage in this evangelization, which entails communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of our faith. Commenting on John Paul II’s call for the New Evangelization, Avery Cardinal Dulles singled out several key characteristics of this New Evangelization, including preaching the centrality of Christ, communicating the social doctrine of the Church, and converting cultures. Today, our culture is communicated powerfully through the Internet; this is where ideas are disseminated quickly and expansively. Thus, the Church will inevitably have to place tremendous focus on this area—and many within the Church are already making their presence felt.
One could call an Internet-based approach “e-vangelization,” and such an approach has tremendous promise. The Internet provides the means of communicating the rich patrimony of our faith to a wide variety of people, and it can be seen as a means of reinhabiting the virtual realm and giving Internet usage a greater purpose. Virtually all of the Western world relies heavily on the Internet to obtain news, make transactions, and communicate with others. In education, online courses are growing more popular and effective. Catechesis online can be just as effective, if not more.
Since the Internet is such a central element in the lives of young adults, in particular, the Church would do well to leverage the ubiquity of the Internet, its aesthetic possibilities, and its user-friendly accessibility to communicate the Gospel online. Bishops and priests can create podcasts and YouTube videos in which they can explore the meaning of Mass readings or explain the tenets of the faith. All Catholics can explore theology and dogma in a multimedia, user-friendly way, so as to invite and educate others.
Resources can be made available online—and in many cases, they already are. On their website, the USCCB has both the New American Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is one of the most beautiful and expansive resources any Catholic can have. One can also find the Liturgy of the Hours online. The Paulists have a popular website, called Busted Halo. Catholic Answers has a website and forum for apologetics. And several years ago, Pope Benedict XVI started XT3, a social networking website for World Youth Day Pilgrims.
The possibilities for e-vangelization are limitless, and the e-vangelist should be excited to draw on the rich tradition of our Catholic faith and make it accessible to the Church at large through the Internet. But one must be realistic: e-vangelization has its own challenges, and online communication cannot be the be-all, end-all of evangelization efforts. Drawing upon the insights of social scientists who study Internet culture, e-vangelists should adopt two axioms: First, nothing trumps personal relationships. As trendy and slick as a well-run blog, Twitter page, or YouTube video can be, they do not intrinsically bring about conversion, and they are limited in providing meaningful human interaction. Relationships cannot be based solely on 140-character text messages, email, and instant messaging. Nothing can substitute for the power that physical presence has in communication. The same can be said for e-vangelization.
Second, and more importantly, the Internet is largely unregulated. E-vangelization will be a venture into a virtual environment that is already filled with supporters and spammers alike.
E-vangelists will have to sift through junk mail and viruses, “trolls” and vitriol as they strive to communicate the Gospel in the digital realm, and the latter in particular will be particularly burdensome and challenging. One needs only to peruse the online comments section of some of the major religious periodicals across the spectrum (First Things, America, Commonweal, the National Catholic Reporter) to see just how unchristian Internet users can be.
Why is this the case? The Internet grants users a relative degree of anonymity, which tends to invite a level of frankness (to put it mildly) that would rarely be experienced in person. As a young adult who frequents the aforementioned periodicals, I cannot stress enough how painful it can be to see some of the exchanges between fellow Catholics that occur over the Web. Consequently, as promising as e-vangelization can be, e-vangelizers must be prepared for the worst: vitriolic comments, rash arguments, harsh judgments, and misinterpretations. It will try one’s patience.
Ultimately, one must recognize that the Internet is both a tool and a battleground, where Catholics will need to work hard to cultivate an ethics of communication that is grounded in charity in truth and be prepared to engage in apologetics with fellow Christians, with atheists, and even with people who might argue while having no desire to have anything to do with the Church. In addition, Catholic e-vangelists will be tasked with fighting against an Internet culture of pornography and vulgarity. This makes St. Peter’s admonition in 1 Peter so vital. “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15-16). When engaging in evangelization online, the Church must take this to heart.
Footnotes:
1 Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio
2 Avery Cardinal Dulles, Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2009), pp 31-38.
3 To be sure, even the Council Fathers at Vatican II, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI all stress this same point.
4 There are, of course, methods to track users and determine their identity, but explaining the technical aspect of these things is not relevant in this article.
About the writer: Dave de la Fuente is a graduate student in the Master of Theological Studies program at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
On Being Servants of the Lord
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Is 66:10-14c; Ps 66; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
1st Reading
Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life and faith. For Christians, Jerusalem symbolizes the Church.
For purposes of this reflection, I’d like to use the symbol of Jerusalem for our community. Shouldn’t we rejoice, be glad, love and exult over our community? "Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts!... As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort…When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD's power shall be known to his servants."
Look at us now, after 18 years of existence as BLD Newark, 25 years as a global BLD community. Haven’t we been nursed by the Lord in this community? Carried in her arms, fondled in her lap, comforted as a mother comforts her child? Several weeks ago, we spent the day with a beloved couple who were kind enough to host our youngest son for the next two months during his summer internship at a corporation based in Connecticut.
During our fellowship around their dinner table, I looked at the husband, who will be an ordained deacon next year- God willing. I looked at the wife, whose life of fervent faith and devotion to Christ is the antithesis of the way she was raised as a child. And I looked at my son, a son of this community. God willing, he will realize his dream of becoming a theologian and professor after his graduate studies. And I can't help but see the imprint of God's grace on our community. We have reason to rejoice, for God’s power has been revealed to us in the conversion and continuing transformation He has accomplished in our lives.
As the Psalmist said, Let us cry with all the earth with joy!
2nd Reading:
And yet even as we rejoice over the unimaginable grace the Lord has given us through BLD, the readings from Galatians and the Gospel give us reasons to be cautious.
We are cautioned not to boast of anything except in the Cross of the Lord, through which all that we now enjoy have been won. Again, favor me with license for word substitution: For neither does covenanting mean anything, nor does not covenanting, but only a new creation. What good is the covenant we entered into if we do not live up to its solemn pledges, if the old things refuse to pass away, and if the new creation won by Christ is not there to behold? What good is our covenant discipleship if we do not bear the marks of Jesus on our body?
Gospel:
The other caution is not to rejoice over our gifts- innate or acquired, spiritual or physical/material- or the authority given us by our offices in community. Rather, the Word of God enjoins us to rejoice because our names are written in heaven, which in itself is all grace. Nothing we’ve ever done or accomplished in life qualifies us for heaven. Yes, heaven holds our names, and our names are written with the blood of Jesus.
Linking up with the Theme:
So how does this reflection relate to the theme: the Lord’s committed servants work for the salvation of others?
Committed Servants relate to the 72 disciples sent out by the Lord. They in turn represent the community. The work of community consists of both communion and mission.
The work of communion is reflected in the first reading: nursing, nurturing, consoling, flourishing, essentially forming, pastoring and binding us in the love of God.
The work of mission is reflected in the sending out of the 72 disciples in the Gospel reading.
We can’t really work on saving others unless we ourselves are saved and continually converted.
As to continual conversion, consider
(1) Paul’s reflection in the second reading- to live as God’s new creation in the power of the cross and bearing Christ’s marks on their bodies; and
(2) the Lord’s coaching the 72 disciples, before they left for mission (wherein they received His directions) and after returning from mission (wherein He pointed to the lesson to be learned from their experience).
In the end, participating in the Lord’s work of salvation is what community and discipleship is all about. What we bring is our commitment. What He brings is His grace. The result is that we become His co-workers in saving souls, by the power of the Cross.
Readings: Is 66:10-14c; Ps 66; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
1st Reading
Jerusalem was the center of Jewish life and faith. For Christians, Jerusalem symbolizes the Church.
For purposes of this reflection, I’d like to use the symbol of Jerusalem for our community. Shouldn’t we rejoice, be glad, love and exult over our community? "Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts!... As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort…When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the LORD's power shall be known to his servants."
Look at us now, after 18 years of existence as BLD Newark, 25 years as a global BLD community. Haven’t we been nursed by the Lord in this community? Carried in her arms, fondled in her lap, comforted as a mother comforts her child? Several weeks ago, we spent the day with a beloved couple who were kind enough to host our youngest son for the next two months during his summer internship at a corporation based in Connecticut.
During our fellowship around their dinner table, I looked at the husband, who will be an ordained deacon next year- God willing. I looked at the wife, whose life of fervent faith and devotion to Christ is the antithesis of the way she was raised as a child. And I looked at my son, a son of this community. God willing, he will realize his dream of becoming a theologian and professor after his graduate studies. And I can't help but see the imprint of God's grace on our community. We have reason to rejoice, for God’s power has been revealed to us in the conversion and continuing transformation He has accomplished in our lives.
As the Psalmist said, Let us cry with all the earth with joy!
2nd Reading:
And yet even as we rejoice over the unimaginable grace the Lord has given us through BLD, the readings from Galatians and the Gospel give us reasons to be cautious.
We are cautioned not to boast of anything except in the Cross of the Lord, through which all that we now enjoy have been won. Again, favor me with license for word substitution: For neither does covenanting mean anything, nor does not covenanting, but only a new creation. What good is the covenant we entered into if we do not live up to its solemn pledges, if the old things refuse to pass away, and if the new creation won by Christ is not there to behold? What good is our covenant discipleship if we do not bear the marks of Jesus on our body?
Gospel:
The other caution is not to rejoice over our gifts- innate or acquired, spiritual or physical/material- or the authority given us by our offices in community. Rather, the Word of God enjoins us to rejoice because our names are written in heaven, which in itself is all grace. Nothing we’ve ever done or accomplished in life qualifies us for heaven. Yes, heaven holds our names, and our names are written with the blood of Jesus.
Linking up with the Theme:
So how does this reflection relate to the theme: the Lord’s committed servants work for the salvation of others?
Committed Servants relate to the 72 disciples sent out by the Lord. They in turn represent the community. The work of community consists of both communion and mission.
The work of communion is reflected in the first reading: nursing, nurturing, consoling, flourishing, essentially forming, pastoring and binding us in the love of God.
The work of mission is reflected in the sending out of the 72 disciples in the Gospel reading.
We can’t really work on saving others unless we ourselves are saved and continually converted.
As to continual conversion, consider
(1) Paul’s reflection in the second reading- to live as God’s new creation in the power of the cross and bearing Christ’s marks on their bodies; and
(2) the Lord’s coaching the 72 disciples, before they left for mission (wherein they received His directions) and after returning from mission (wherein He pointed to the lesson to be learned from their experience).
In the end, participating in the Lord’s work of salvation is what community and discipleship is all about. What we bring is our commitment. What He brings is His grace. The result is that we become His co-workers in saving souls, by the power of the Cross.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
On Unity in Community
Jn 17:11b “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The Lord’s prayer in John 17:11b gives us a new understanding of the unity the Lord calls us to as His family, His community, His Church.
The Lord describes this “unity” as His disciples being one, as the Father and the Son is one. There is a transcendence required in the Lord’s vision of unity for His Church. After all, His disciples are human and incapable by themselves of achieving the perfect unity of the Divine Trinity. This transcendence is possible only through grace.
The unity we are called to is not attained independent or separate from God. It is possible only with and in God, when we are one with Him, when our life is joined to His and we become subsumed in His Being. Unity is a state of being one with God, expressed in being one with each other.
Harmony and accord per se do not make for unity. These qualities are also present in godless associations of men. Rather, harmony and accord, when founded in God’s love and God’s will, are the fruit and signs of a community that is one with God.
We may ask the question, how then do we explain the discord, conflict and division that engulfed Christian communities, even the Church, as can be gleaned from its history? How do we explain our own past experiences with discord in our own community? There are no simple answers to this, but we offer this principle: unity is a grace that we need to live up to in this life.
Because of sin, we will struggle, we will fail to love and to obey God’s will from time to time. If we are so weak and imperfect, where then do we base our confidence? Hebrews 4:15-16 gives us the assurance that we do not have a God “who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been similarly tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace o receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. 1 Peter 1:4,5 assures as that our inheritance is kept in heaven for us by the power of God. We need to persevere in faith, hope and love.
As His disciples, the Lord teaches us to be united in community as we follow Him in our lives. We are a learning community, learning by our successes and failures, always seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are in a journey to perfection in love, truth, and unity, a journey of continual conversion. We are fellow pilgrims in the process of purification, who need each other for correction, encouragement, support.
The Lord gave us His name as a mark of our unity as His family. God gave us the Holy Family- Joseph, Mary and Jesus- as a model of unity to emulate. Let us find assurance in the Lord’s promise: “While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled” Jn 17:12. The Lord will remain with us forever; His presence bonds us together in community.
The Lord’s prayer in John 17:11b gives us a new understanding of the unity the Lord calls us to as His family, His community, His Church.
The Lord describes this “unity” as His disciples being one, as the Father and the Son is one. There is a transcendence required in the Lord’s vision of unity for His Church. After all, His disciples are human and incapable by themselves of achieving the perfect unity of the Divine Trinity. This transcendence is possible only through grace.
The unity we are called to is not attained independent or separate from God. It is possible only with and in God, when we are one with Him, when our life is joined to His and we become subsumed in His Being. Unity is a state of being one with God, expressed in being one with each other.
Harmony and accord per se do not make for unity. These qualities are also present in godless associations of men. Rather, harmony and accord, when founded in God’s love and God’s will, are the fruit and signs of a community that is one with God.
We may ask the question, how then do we explain the discord, conflict and division that engulfed Christian communities, even the Church, as can be gleaned from its history? How do we explain our own past experiences with discord in our own community? There are no simple answers to this, but we offer this principle: unity is a grace that we need to live up to in this life.
Because of sin, we will struggle, we will fail to love and to obey God’s will from time to time. If we are so weak and imperfect, where then do we base our confidence? Hebrews 4:15-16 gives us the assurance that we do not have a God “who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been similarly tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace o receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. 1 Peter 1:4,5 assures as that our inheritance is kept in heaven for us by the power of God. We need to persevere in faith, hope and love.
As His disciples, the Lord teaches us to be united in community as we follow Him in our lives. We are a learning community, learning by our successes and failures, always seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are in a journey to perfection in love, truth, and unity, a journey of continual conversion. We are fellow pilgrims in the process of purification, who need each other for correction, encouragement, support.
The Lord gave us His name as a mark of our unity as His family. God gave us the Holy Family- Joseph, Mary and Jesus- as a model of unity to emulate. Let us find assurance in the Lord’s promise: “While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost, except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled” Jn 17:12. The Lord will remain with us forever; His presence bonds us together in community.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
On Hearing and Doing God's Word
Reflection on the 4th Sunday of Easter (April 25, 2010)
(Readings from Acts 13:14,43-52; Ps 100:1-2,3,5; Rev 7:9,14b-17; Jn 10:27-30)
In the first reading, Paul & Barnabas went to synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia (in modern day Turkey). This was at the time when the early Christians were still welcome in the synagogue, where the assembly of believers prayed and where the Word of God was preached. In the narrative, we read about Paul and Barnabas not only being able to take their seats in the synagogue, but being able to speak to the Jews and worshipers about remaining faithful to the grace of God. Their preaching was so well received that on the following Sabbath, a large crowd from the city gathered to listen to them. This sight aroused jealousy among some Jews, who contradicted and abused the apostles and incited leading men and women of the city to persecute them and expel them from the city.
Now, recall the place where these key events happened. The synagogue- a place of prayer and the preaching of the word of God became the place of division, where Jews who rejected Christ separated themselves from Jewish Christians and Gentile believers. This reminds us of the conflict and division that we see engulfing many Christian communities. We can’t help but ask the question, why, Lord? How can it happen to people who all call you Lord, a people You planted in a common spiritual home? Why can’t we seem to live up to the salvation that you won for us? How can we who are so broken be instruments of salvation to others?
There were two types of “hearers” to Paul & Barnabas’ preaching of the Word: the Jews, who refused to listen, to take to heart what they heard; and the Gentiles, who in their thirst for the light, accepted the Word preached to them with delight. Those who were destined for eternal life received the Word with open heart, and came to believe. Through them, the Word of God spread throughout all regions, and they themselves became, like Paul and Barnabas, instruments of salvation. Those who rejected the Word, gave vent to their resentment and anger, and by rejecting and persecuting the two apostles, inadvertently helped pave the way to their most fruitful mission to the Gentiles.
This narrative from Acts and the Lord’s words in the gospel point to the key spiritual qualities of those who fruitfully serve the Lord’s plan of salvation: hearers, followers and doers of the Word.
Let us now turn to the gospel for the core message from the readings: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” God-seekers are open to the Spirit, who speaks the Lord’s words and conveys His life to us. Our quest for God finds satisfaction the moment we hear His voice and follow Him. Hearing and following bring us to profound intimacy with God, and in it we find the greatest treasure of all- knowledge of God, union with Him. Possessed by the Lord in His hands, we become part of His work to bring salvation to all, so that all who believe may belong to God.
(Note: first posted on March 3- moved to the month of April to coincide with the April 25th Mass readings)
(Readings from Acts 13:14,43-52; Ps 100:1-2,3,5; Rev 7:9,14b-17; Jn 10:27-30)
In the first reading, Paul & Barnabas went to synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia (in modern day Turkey). This was at the time when the early Christians were still welcome in the synagogue, where the assembly of believers prayed and where the Word of God was preached. In the narrative, we read about Paul and Barnabas not only being able to take their seats in the synagogue, but being able to speak to the Jews and worshipers about remaining faithful to the grace of God. Their preaching was so well received that on the following Sabbath, a large crowd from the city gathered to listen to them. This sight aroused jealousy among some Jews, who contradicted and abused the apostles and incited leading men and women of the city to persecute them and expel them from the city.
Now, recall the place where these key events happened. The synagogue- a place of prayer and the preaching of the word of God became the place of division, where Jews who rejected Christ separated themselves from Jewish Christians and Gentile believers. This reminds us of the conflict and division that we see engulfing many Christian communities. We can’t help but ask the question, why, Lord? How can it happen to people who all call you Lord, a people You planted in a common spiritual home? Why can’t we seem to live up to the salvation that you won for us? How can we who are so broken be instruments of salvation to others?
There were two types of “hearers” to Paul & Barnabas’ preaching of the Word: the Jews, who refused to listen, to take to heart what they heard; and the Gentiles, who in their thirst for the light, accepted the Word preached to them with delight. Those who were destined for eternal life received the Word with open heart, and came to believe. Through them, the Word of God spread throughout all regions, and they themselves became, like Paul and Barnabas, instruments of salvation. Those who rejected the Word, gave vent to their resentment and anger, and by rejecting and persecuting the two apostles, inadvertently helped pave the way to their most fruitful mission to the Gentiles.
This narrative from Acts and the Lord’s words in the gospel point to the key spiritual qualities of those who fruitfully serve the Lord’s plan of salvation: hearers, followers and doers of the Word.
Let us now turn to the gospel for the core message from the readings: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” God-seekers are open to the Spirit, who speaks the Lord’s words and conveys His life to us. Our quest for God finds satisfaction the moment we hear His voice and follow Him. Hearing and following bring us to profound intimacy with God, and in it we find the greatest treasure of all- knowledge of God, union with Him. Possessed by the Lord in His hands, we become part of His work to bring salvation to all, so that all who believe may belong to God.
(Note: first posted on March 3- moved to the month of April to coincide with the April 25th Mass readings)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
On Faith
(A reflection on the readings for the 2nd week of Easter - Apr 9, 2010. Worship Theme: We seek heavenly things when we firmly believe in God)
To “seek heavenly things” is to seek God Himself; all the goodness associated with heaven comes with Him. To firmly believe in God is to trust that He who loved us and sought us first will be true to His promise to share His divine life with us- even though we don’t and can never deserve it. It is only through God’s grace that we have this hope to live in communion with Him forever.
Faith is both a grace and a human act. A grace, because “man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and makes it easy for all to accept and believe in the truth.” (CCC 153) A human act, because “believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.” (CCC 155)
In the readings, grace consists of the gift of healing bestowed on Peter, the vision of the Lord granted to John, the Risen Lord’s appearances to His disciples, and His gift of the Holy Spirit. The human acts are Peter’s obedient faith, the belief of the sick and those who carried them that the Lord was in Peter, John’s deep prayer on the Lord’s day, the disciples’ joyful belief in the Risen Lord, and Thomas’ overcoming his unbelief with his faith-filled declaration, “my Lord and my God!”
From the readings, we learn that our response of faith requires being tuned in to God, and being attuned to God in turn helps our faith. To be tuned in to God is like setting our radio or TV to a Christian station, EWTN, or other channels with wholesome family programming. This means tuning out voices, messages and idols that turn us away from God: all that is fleshly and worldly, the spirits that are not of the Lord. However, this does not mean the loss of free will. “To be human, man’s response to God by faith must be free, and…therefore, nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act of faith is of its very nature a free act.” (CCC 160).
Tuning in to God is to fix our eyes on Jesus, our sure access to the Father, the Beginning, the Way, and the End of our journey to God. It is to tune in to the Lord’s example during His public ministry. In Jesus, we find the embodiment of the life we too must live, a life devoted to seeking a lasting unity with the Father, a life of faith, of prayer, of obedience to God's will, and of loving and selfless service to others, especially the needy.
Tuning in to God is to abide in the Holy Spirit, who alone enables us to say that Jesus is Lord (1 Cor 12:3) and to call God, Abba Father (Gal 4:6). “To be in touch with Christ, we must first be touched by the Holy Spirit” (CCC 683). It is the Spirit who sanctifies us, brings us to communion with God, that we may bear much fruit.
Tuning in to God is to share in the Lord’s Cross and Resurrection. Jesus promised, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32). The nail marks on His hands and the wound on His side attest to His being lifted up, to His divinity. Only the One who comes from above can return to the Father above. They attest to the power of God over death, to the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to unshackle us from the chains of sin and death that bound us to earth and to earthly things. They attest to the truth that in Christ our Lord, heaven, the things of heaven, all that is pure and holy- are within the reach of those who believe.
As Jesus is lifted up, so are we and our faith lifted up. Regardless of circumstances - whether in sorrow, pain, want or fear, during those times when the nail marks and side wound of Jesus seem like our own, when we are hard pressed and are falling– our faith in the Lord Jesus as our helper and savior will give us the strength and courage to persevere. Our faith will remain firm, that in Jesus alone is Heaven, in Him alone is Life! Jesus, our Lord and our God, is risen!
Directions on tuning in to God, tuning up our faith:
1. Talk about God’s word. Make it your way of life that people will see and know Jesus in your person. Be the light and salt of the earth. Live Jesus daily.
2. Be active in declaring the works of the Lord. Use your spiritual gifts as witness to the power of the Holy Spirit and continue to proclaim the Good News through our encounter programs and mission work
Promise: “…believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20: 31b)
To “seek heavenly things” is to seek God Himself; all the goodness associated with heaven comes with Him. To firmly believe in God is to trust that He who loved us and sought us first will be true to His promise to share His divine life with us- even though we don’t and can never deserve it. It is only through God’s grace that we have this hope to live in communion with Him forever.
Faith is both a grace and a human act. A grace, because “man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and makes it easy for all to accept and believe in the truth.” (CCC 153) A human act, because “believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace.” (CCC 155)
In the readings, grace consists of the gift of healing bestowed on Peter, the vision of the Lord granted to John, the Risen Lord’s appearances to His disciples, and His gift of the Holy Spirit. The human acts are Peter’s obedient faith, the belief of the sick and those who carried them that the Lord was in Peter, John’s deep prayer on the Lord’s day, the disciples’ joyful belief in the Risen Lord, and Thomas’ overcoming his unbelief with his faith-filled declaration, “my Lord and my God!”
From the readings, we learn that our response of faith requires being tuned in to God, and being attuned to God in turn helps our faith. To be tuned in to God is like setting our radio or TV to a Christian station, EWTN, or other channels with wholesome family programming. This means tuning out voices, messages and idols that turn us away from God: all that is fleshly and worldly, the spirits that are not of the Lord. However, this does not mean the loss of free will. “To be human, man’s response to God by faith must be free, and…therefore, nobody is to be forced to embrace the faith against his will. The act of faith is of its very nature a free act.” (CCC 160).
Tuning in to God is to fix our eyes on Jesus, our sure access to the Father, the Beginning, the Way, and the End of our journey to God. It is to tune in to the Lord’s example during His public ministry. In Jesus, we find the embodiment of the life we too must live, a life devoted to seeking a lasting unity with the Father, a life of faith, of prayer, of obedience to God's will, and of loving and selfless service to others, especially the needy.
Tuning in to God is to abide in the Holy Spirit, who alone enables us to say that Jesus is Lord (1 Cor 12:3) and to call God, Abba Father (Gal 4:6). “To be in touch with Christ, we must first be touched by the Holy Spirit” (CCC 683). It is the Spirit who sanctifies us, brings us to communion with God, that we may bear much fruit.
Tuning in to God is to share in the Lord’s Cross and Resurrection. Jesus promised, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32). The nail marks on His hands and the wound on His side attest to His being lifted up, to His divinity. Only the One who comes from above can return to the Father above. They attest to the power of God over death, to the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to unshackle us from the chains of sin and death that bound us to earth and to earthly things. They attest to the truth that in Christ our Lord, heaven, the things of heaven, all that is pure and holy- are within the reach of those who believe.
As Jesus is lifted up, so are we and our faith lifted up. Regardless of circumstances - whether in sorrow, pain, want or fear, during those times when the nail marks and side wound of Jesus seem like our own, when we are hard pressed and are falling– our faith in the Lord Jesus as our helper and savior will give us the strength and courage to persevere. Our faith will remain firm, that in Jesus alone is Heaven, in Him alone is Life! Jesus, our Lord and our God, is risen!
Directions on tuning in to God, tuning up our faith:
1. Talk about God’s word. Make it your way of life that people will see and know Jesus in your person. Be the light and salt of the earth. Live Jesus daily.
2. Be active in declaring the works of the Lord. Use your spiritual gifts as witness to the power of the Holy Spirit and continue to proclaim the Good News through our encounter programs and mission work
Promise: “…believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.” (Jn 20: 31b)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
On the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus, provides rich lessons for those who seek Kingdom life on earth and the hereafter. In the parable, the rich man did not lift a finger to lift up the poor man Lazarus. He was the very picture of complacency that the Lord decried through the prophet Amos.
The purple garments and fine linen he wore signified his regal and imperial standing. His table fare was sumptuous - rich and magnificent banquets reminiscent of kings. The parable made no mention of work. His was definitely a life of comfort and opulence.
The rich man had everything of this world, but nothing of God. But he did not welcome Lazarus into his home, who lay just outside his door. He did not invite Lazarus to his table. He did not share his resources with the poor man - not one tiny bit from his riches, not even the scraps of food that fell from his table. He did not witness to Lazarus the good news of God’s covenant of love with Israel. He did not accord Lazarus the dignity that befits a fellow child of God.
On the other hand, Lazarus had nothing of this world, but everything of God (Latin name Eleazar means “God is my help”). He was so poor, diseased and weakened that the parable described him as “lying at the rich man’s door.” He was unable to stand up and fend for himself. He had to beg to eat. He was hungry and would have eaten scraps falling from the rich man’s table. Apparently without family and friends, he was ignored, avoided and abandoned, approached only by dogs which licked his sores. Though suffering, he was uncomplaining. Lazarus had no possessions, except that which truly mattered: he had God.
Like everything in this world, both earthly wealth and suffering are passing things. Jesus, “the King of kings and Lord of lords…alone has immortality” Inevitably, the rich man and Lazarus died and met God’s divine justice. Lazarus, because of his reliance on God, was carried by angels to the eternal comfort of the bosom of Abraham. The rich man, because of his selfishness, was consigned to the eternal torment of the netherworld. There, he discovered that his and Lazarus’ earthly states had been reversed. Lazarus was comforted; the rich man was tormented. The rich man was now the beggar. Yet his old self-absorption and low regard for Lazarus remained. He begged Father Abraham to send Lazarus to cool his tongue with water from the tip of his finger. His tears did him no good, for without Jesus, there was no way the great chasm between heaven and hell can be bridged.
The rich man made his final appeal to warn his five brothers – who represented a society which did nothing to alleviate the plight of the poor - that they may repent of their selfishness. Father Abraham’s response speaks to us too. Repentance must flow out of love of God and obedience to His commandments. St. Paul reinforces and simplifies the command, “…keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Tim 6:14). The commandment to keep is kingdom love.
Our value before God does not lie in our wealth, looks or stature, but in our heart of love, a love that lifts up all persons, most specially the poor. Jesus is the model of lifting up the poor: “for your sake, He became poor though He was rich, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Tm 8:9).
As Catholics, we must come together with a common conviction that we can no longer tolerate the moral scandal of poverty, hunger and deprivation in the world. As believers, we can debate how best to overcome these realities, but we must be united in our commitment and action. Our faith teaches us that poor people are not issues or problems but sisters and brothers in God's one human family.
As Catholics, we are called to be "ever more faithful witnesses of God's love and justice, protecting the dignity of all God's children, especially the poor and vulnerable." As our nation and world confront terrorism, war, and violence, we recall the words of Pope Paul VI, "If you want peace, work for justice."
With our Church under challenge, the world confronted by terror and haunted by conflict, we must focus our individual and collective efforts on issues of poverty and human dignity now!
* It is our calling. Our commission from the Lord places our service to the poor and the vulnerable and our work for justice at the heart of our discipleship.
* Poverty is all around us. Even in the richest country in the world, 1/6 of the children are growing up poor. The blessings and burdens of American life are not being shared equitably. In the Philippines, over 3 million families live below the poverty line, and are experiencing hunger daily. Millions are homeless or living in shanties.
* The situation is dire. It is estimated that more than 30,000 children die every day from hunger, deprivation, and their consequences. Disease and debt, corruption and conflict are threatening the lives and dignity of millions of people around the world.
* Jesus is in the poor. In Jesus' description of the Last Judgment in Mt 25, our Just Judge asked the question "What did you do for the least of these?" Jesus identified himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, and the stranger, insisting that when we serve them we serve him.
* Each of us in Jesus can make a difference. Our community must actively preach the Gospel and pursue the Church's evangelizing and social mission. Together, we can build a world where people are treated with dignity, where lives are respected and protected.
In his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus outlined his mission and ours: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . . he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." In these challenging times, this mission of Jesus is our way forward and our urgent task.
The purple garments and fine linen he wore signified his regal and imperial standing. His table fare was sumptuous - rich and magnificent banquets reminiscent of kings. The parable made no mention of work. His was definitely a life of comfort and opulence.
The rich man had everything of this world, but nothing of God. But he did not welcome Lazarus into his home, who lay just outside his door. He did not invite Lazarus to his table. He did not share his resources with the poor man - not one tiny bit from his riches, not even the scraps of food that fell from his table. He did not witness to Lazarus the good news of God’s covenant of love with Israel. He did not accord Lazarus the dignity that befits a fellow child of God.
On the other hand, Lazarus had nothing of this world, but everything of God (Latin name Eleazar means “God is my help”). He was so poor, diseased and weakened that the parable described him as “lying at the rich man’s door.” He was unable to stand up and fend for himself. He had to beg to eat. He was hungry and would have eaten scraps falling from the rich man’s table. Apparently without family and friends, he was ignored, avoided and abandoned, approached only by dogs which licked his sores. Though suffering, he was uncomplaining. Lazarus had no possessions, except that which truly mattered: he had God.
Like everything in this world, both earthly wealth and suffering are passing things. Jesus, “the King of kings and Lord of lords…alone has immortality” Inevitably, the rich man and Lazarus died and met God’s divine justice. Lazarus, because of his reliance on God, was carried by angels to the eternal comfort of the bosom of Abraham. The rich man, because of his selfishness, was consigned to the eternal torment of the netherworld. There, he discovered that his and Lazarus’ earthly states had been reversed. Lazarus was comforted; the rich man was tormented. The rich man was now the beggar. Yet his old self-absorption and low regard for Lazarus remained. He begged Father Abraham to send Lazarus to cool his tongue with water from the tip of his finger. His tears did him no good, for without Jesus, there was no way the great chasm between heaven and hell can be bridged.
The rich man made his final appeal to warn his five brothers – who represented a society which did nothing to alleviate the plight of the poor - that they may repent of their selfishness. Father Abraham’s response speaks to us too. Repentance must flow out of love of God and obedience to His commandments. St. Paul reinforces and simplifies the command, “…keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Tim 6:14). The commandment to keep is kingdom love.
Our value before God does not lie in our wealth, looks or stature, but in our heart of love, a love that lifts up all persons, most specially the poor. Jesus is the model of lifting up the poor: “for your sake, He became poor though He was rich, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Tm 8:9).
As Catholics, we must come together with a common conviction that we can no longer tolerate the moral scandal of poverty, hunger and deprivation in the world. As believers, we can debate how best to overcome these realities, but we must be united in our commitment and action. Our faith teaches us that poor people are not issues or problems but sisters and brothers in God's one human family.
As Catholics, we are called to be "ever more faithful witnesses of God's love and justice, protecting the dignity of all God's children, especially the poor and vulnerable." As our nation and world confront terrorism, war, and violence, we recall the words of Pope Paul VI, "If you want peace, work for justice."
With our Church under challenge, the world confronted by terror and haunted by conflict, we must focus our individual and collective efforts on issues of poverty and human dignity now!
* It is our calling. Our commission from the Lord places our service to the poor and the vulnerable and our work for justice at the heart of our discipleship.
* Poverty is all around us. Even in the richest country in the world, 1/6 of the children are growing up poor. The blessings and burdens of American life are not being shared equitably. In the Philippines, over 3 million families live below the poverty line, and are experiencing hunger daily. Millions are homeless or living in shanties.
* The situation is dire. It is estimated that more than 30,000 children die every day from hunger, deprivation, and their consequences. Disease and debt, corruption and conflict are threatening the lives and dignity of millions of people around the world.
* Jesus is in the poor. In Jesus' description of the Last Judgment in Mt 25, our Just Judge asked the question "What did you do for the least of these?" Jesus identified himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, and the stranger, insisting that when we serve them we serve him.
* Each of us in Jesus can make a difference. Our community must actively preach the Gospel and pursue the Church's evangelizing and social mission. Together, we can build a world where people are treated with dignity, where lives are respected and protected.
In his hometown synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus outlined his mission and ours: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . . he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." In these challenging times, this mission of Jesus is our way forward and our urgent task.
On Authority and Obedience to God's Will
(Reflection on Readings from 4th Sunday of Advent, 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38)
Man’s Will vs. God’s Will
Victorious in his wars and established as king of all Israel, David offered to give thanks to the Lord by building for Him a house. The prophet Nathan, who knew that David was the Lord’s anointed king, encouraged him to do what was in his mind. After all, what could be wrong with the king’s plan to build a house for God? That same night, the Lord corrected Nathan. He asked the prophet to tell David that it will be the Lord who will build a house for the king. That house will not be a physical but spiritual; it will not be temporal but eternal. It will be ruled by a king who will reign forever.
God can never be outdone in His goodness. David proposed to undertake something good in this world for the Lord. The Lord told David that was not His will. Instead, the Lord promised that it will be He who will give David what is supremely good for all eternity.
God’s Promise and Mary’s Response
A thousand years later, the Lord sent the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce that God’s promise to David will be fulfilled in her. She was to conceive and bear a son – Jesus. “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father, and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there will be no end” (Lk 1:32-33). Mary, who did not have relations with a man, wondered: “how can this be?” Gabriel replied that she will conceive and bear a son by the power of God through the Holy Spirit. A person of ordinary faith would have responded with derision to this incredible information. Yet this “revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages…manifested…according to the command of the eternal God..” brought about in Mary the “obedience of faith” (Rom 16:25, 26). Mary declared: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to thy word” Lk 1:38.
God’s plan of salvation for man needed the cooperation of a woman named Mary. Because of Mary’s humble acceptance of God’s will, our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born to her and through her, to all mankind. It is Jesus who is to build a house for the Lord – the Church (Mt 16:18), which is not a physical structure but God’s spiritual kingdom, “against which the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail.”
Applications to Community
The most often question asked in Christian communities like ours is this: How do we know if the leaders’ discernment is based on human motivations or guided by the Holy
Spirit? The answer is we don’t, particularly if it involves a good or even a morally neutral decision. Consider the example of David. He was living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remained in a tent. David wanted to build a house for the Lord who had been so good to him. There was one other reason why David (and Nathan) thought he should: as king, he can. But as scripture tells us, this was not what the Lord wanted, so David didn’t.
In a covenant community like ours, where authority is exercised by leaders in God’s name, those leaders have the duty and responsibility to seek and do His will. Because they are responsible, they are accountable – to the Lord. This thought should send any leader on his knees before God! As to the members, they should remember that it is the will of the Lord to entrust His flock to our leaders. He did this knowing fully well their heart, for nothing is concealed from Him (Heb 4:13). If the Lord can trust our very human leaders with His very work, who are we to distrust God’s judgment?
Besides trusting God, what else can members do? According to St. Paul, “offer supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving…for all in authority” (1 Tm 2:1-2). What should they pray for? Pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon our leaders and that the power of the Most High will overshadow them. Then, with humility and faith, let us trust that the Lord heard our prayer and led our leaders to obedience of His will.
Man’s Will vs. God’s Will
Victorious in his wars and established as king of all Israel, David offered to give thanks to the Lord by building for Him a house. The prophet Nathan, who knew that David was the Lord’s anointed king, encouraged him to do what was in his mind. After all, what could be wrong with the king’s plan to build a house for God? That same night, the Lord corrected Nathan. He asked the prophet to tell David that it will be the Lord who will build a house for the king. That house will not be a physical but spiritual; it will not be temporal but eternal. It will be ruled by a king who will reign forever.
God can never be outdone in His goodness. David proposed to undertake something good in this world for the Lord. The Lord told David that was not His will. Instead, the Lord promised that it will be He who will give David what is supremely good for all eternity.
God’s Promise and Mary’s Response
A thousand years later, the Lord sent the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce that God’s promise to David will be fulfilled in her. She was to conceive and bear a son – Jesus. “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father, and He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there will be no end” (Lk 1:32-33). Mary, who did not have relations with a man, wondered: “how can this be?” Gabriel replied that she will conceive and bear a son by the power of God through the Holy Spirit. A person of ordinary faith would have responded with derision to this incredible information. Yet this “revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages…manifested…according to the command of the eternal God..” brought about in Mary the “obedience of faith” (Rom 16:25, 26). Mary declared: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to thy word” Lk 1:38.
God’s plan of salvation for man needed the cooperation of a woman named Mary. Because of Mary’s humble acceptance of God’s will, our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born to her and through her, to all mankind. It is Jesus who is to build a house for the Lord – the Church (Mt 16:18), which is not a physical structure but God’s spiritual kingdom, “against which the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail.”
Applications to Community
The most often question asked in Christian communities like ours is this: How do we know if the leaders’ discernment is based on human motivations or guided by the Holy
Spirit? The answer is we don’t, particularly if it involves a good or even a morally neutral decision. Consider the example of David. He was living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remained in a tent. David wanted to build a house for the Lord who had been so good to him. There was one other reason why David (and Nathan) thought he should: as king, he can. But as scripture tells us, this was not what the Lord wanted, so David didn’t.
In a covenant community like ours, where authority is exercised by leaders in God’s name, those leaders have the duty and responsibility to seek and do His will. Because they are responsible, they are accountable – to the Lord. This thought should send any leader on his knees before God! As to the members, they should remember that it is the will of the Lord to entrust His flock to our leaders. He did this knowing fully well their heart, for nothing is concealed from Him (Heb 4:13). If the Lord can trust our very human leaders with His very work, who are we to distrust God’s judgment?
Besides trusting God, what else can members do? According to St. Paul, “offer supplications, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving…for all in authority” (1 Tm 2:1-2). What should they pray for? Pray that the Holy Spirit will come upon our leaders and that the power of the Most High will overshadow them. Then, with humility and faith, let us trust that the Lord heard our prayer and led our leaders to obedience of His will.
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