Tag: <span>Eternity</span>

July 27, 2021July 26, 2021

Weeds and Wheat

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

We may unconsciously categorize the depiction of the Lord in the first reading as imperfect, proper to an Old Testament view of God:

“The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,
continuing his kindness for a thousand generations,
and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin;
yet not declaring the guilty guiltless,
but punishing children and grandchildren
to the third and fourth generation for their fathers’ wickedness!”

But in reality, this depiction perfectly describes the reality we live in as Christians, a reality brought to fulfillment with the coming of Jesus.

Jesus does not declare the guilty guiltless, and He has not chosen to remove the devastating effects of original sin from humanity with His coming–punishing effects that continue to pass from generation to generation.

But He is, above all, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, generation after generation; He forgives everyone who comes to Him.

And today’s gospel bears all this out. At the end of time, God does not declare the guilty guiltless; rather, evildoers are gathered like weeds and thrown into the fiery furnace.

Here we see the chasm that exists for eternity between those who have been weak and sinful, but have returned often to the well of God’s mercy, and those who choose willfully to persist in their sin, resisting all God’s invitations to conversion. The first may be confident, full of hope; the second are heading for a terrible destiny. It is confusing these two groups that often leads to a false depiction of mercy in our times. Our job as Christians, through our prayer, sacrifice, and counsel, is to help move others from the second group to the first.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to incorporate you, according to His own plan, into His beautiful drama of salvation, and offer Him your life for the salvation and sanctification of others.

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June 2, 2021May 27, 2021

One Bride for Seven Brothers

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Who knew: There are two passages about seven men marrying the same wife in sequence, each dying in his turn. And they’re both found in today’s liturgy.

Love between a man and a woman is considered by many the height of happiness. In both of today’s readings, though, there is a lesson to be learned about the fleeting and unreliable nature of what humans tend to rely on for happiness. In the first reading, poor Sarah’s husbands keep dying immediately upon wedding her, and in the gospel, the Sadducees cite a hypothetical example of a woman marrying seven men in sequence.

In both readings, we see that the ultimate bringer of reliable happiness is God. In the first reading, God remedies Sarah’s plight after she moves from despair into hope and prays to Him; and in the gospel, the source of eternal happiness in the resurrection from the dead is God.

Still, we must not divorce our view of God’s Providence from the ordinary realities of life. We are body and spirit, and God cares for us lovingly in both. Sometimes we suffer, but even this suffering is curated caringly by God, for those who trust in Him.

And He often manifests His providential love in simple details in everyday life: Unexpected blessings, positive outcomes.

Perfect trust involves detachment from any particular gift or outcome, and at the same time, certainty that God will ultimately bring about the best possible outcome.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to transform your life such that it is led by perfect trust. Aware that you cannot trust this way yourself, ask Him with confidence for the gift.

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May 19, 2021May 6, 2021

Goodbye

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Today’s readings present us with two imminent departures, partings of beloved friends, who will never again see each other on this earth.

One departure is that of Jesus, who is about to be crucified; the other, Jesus’ disciple Paul, leader of the Christian community, who leaves for other shores and predicts his inability ever to return. In both departures, there is deep melancholy on the part of those being left. Jesus’ disciples are filled with “sheer sorrow” (cf. Lk. 22:45), and Paul’s hearers were “deeply distressed.”

Jesus and Paul are very similarly aware that the target of their mission is not earthly togetherness, but eternal togetherness: The salvation and sanctification of their friends, whom they love.

Often, we mistake relative earthly goods as having absolute value, which only eternal goods have. Anything that is subject to passing, to decay, to loss, has no absolute value, and so it is with our earthly lives and earthly goods, as exalted as these may be.

The only way to achieve as noble and complete a detachment from earthly goods as that which Jesus and Paul display is to live constantly, habitually with the goods of this world as though we were already in the process of losing them–which we are. It is an uncomfortable, even in a sense unsettling way to live, but it also brings great peace and the deepest of joys.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to prevent that your heart become fixated on passing earthly goods, as wonderful and noble as these can be, but to realize almost by second nature that they are in the process of passing, and ultimately only have lasting value to the degree that they are leveraged to help you and others attain to eternal goods.

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May 13, 2021April 30, 2021

Home Sweet Home

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

“God mounts His throne to shouts of joy.” When we think about the Ascension, meditating on the second glorious mystery of the rosary perhaps, we may be captivated by the physical wonders of the scene: Jesus’ feet disengaging with the earth, and His body floating slowly skyward, until hidden by the cloud. Our whole focus may be captivated by the apostles standing and looking on, agape, drooling perhaps…

These are awe-inspiring contemplations, to be sure. But the readings of today–even the passage from the Gospel, which typically narrates things in the most matter-of-fact manner–today’s readings do not stop at what the apostles see.

Rather, they go to the heart of the matter, the most important aspect of what is happening: “God mounts His throne with shouts of joy.” “…the God of our Lord Jesus Christ…seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.”

After an incredibly grueling stint on earth to save us, Jesus arrives home. He arrives home, now dressed in flesh. He arrives home, to the glorious shouts of the angels’ joy. He has done it. The mission is complete. He is back, now a Man, in His eternal dominion.

Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”

Jesus is home–He has arrived home at what is now also our home. He is preparing a place for us, in His glory. Our sojourn on earth, in a way, is so simple, even though we complicate it terribly by focusing on earthly goals and measure our progress and success accordingly. Life on earth is simple: It is a clinging to Him, by dedication of time in our life to our relationship with Him, and giving Him our lives as acts of service to Him. Come what may, if we do these simple things, our lives are a success, and we will one day be home with Him.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to bring you home, by safe passage. You, and all your loved ones.

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May 10, 2021April 23, 2021

Against the Grain

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

It would be so nice if we could follow Jesus, and also get along peacefully with the world.

And yet, He reminds us, over and over again, that this will not be the case. People will want to kill us because of Him.

Within the hour following your reading of this reflection, in fact, a Christian will be put to death because of his or her faith.

Of course, not every faithful Christian in the world is in imminent danger of death or persecution. But even in the most benign of circumstances, our faith teaches us that we must prioritize love, and this means–in one way or another–that we do not fully progress in the world as it sees progress, or benefit from everything it has to offer. Those “advantages” belong to those who set them as their first priority.

And we need to be ready for real persecution, for people to hate us viscerally for what we stand for. We cannot do else but live for eternity, rather than for peace and happiness in this world, if we want to be Jesus’ followers. He tells us as much Himself in today’s Gospel. And let us remember too, that as gloriously as the faith progresses in the first reading and indeed in all of the Acts of the Apostles, that book’s chief protagonists all died a martyr’s death at the hands of men who were too low-minded to accept the beautiful demands of the Christian faith.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Jesus doesn’t hide the trials that come with our faith. Ask Him for courage and conviction, to be willing to sacrifice all the goods of this life and this world for the goods of eternity.

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April 19, 2021March 31, 2021

Face like an Angel

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

“I do not want to be a martyr,” you may very reasonably think.

As our world becomes increasing militant in its secularization, what was once unthinkable begins to emerge as a possibility on the horizon: martyrdom again rising in the Western world, the world that we call free.

When considering the martyrs, we may think of bloody tragedy; of frightened Christians thrown to the lions and ripped to shreds, or of St. Sebastian’s entire body pierced with arrows before he finally succumbed. We may think of the loss of life, and of all that we hold dear in this life. And all of this we may interpret as failure, disgrace, chaos, destruction.

In today’s first reading, we are presented with the scenes leading up to the first Christian martyrdom, and the picture drawn is very different from what we might imagine. St. Stephen is strong, filled with the Holy Spirit, confident, and victorious. Even his enemies see his face as like to that of an angel.

Sometimes we forget that, as cruel and chaotic as their perpetrators may be, martyrdoms don’t occur at random, or casually. Because the persons in question are God’s chosen ones, the events are hand-choreographed with the greatest tenderness and attention to detail by the Creator of the Universe Himself. The martyrs themselves sense it, and they are filled with joy, even at the hour of their death.

And so, if we have nothing to fear in martyrdom, what can be said of the other, smaller tragedies that befall us? If we belong wholly to God, will He not choreograph the more minor occurrences of our lives with similar tender care? And if He is with us, who can be against us? (cf. Rm. 8:31)

As such we must heed the words of Jesus in today’s gospel: “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

Along with the grace of their martyrdom itself, the martyrs received a profound consciousness of the value of earthly life vs. eternal life, and had their hearts set on the latter. Whether or not we become martyrs, they provide a relevant message for our earth-centered age.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to plant your heart firmly in heaven. Ask Him to teach you to spend your life and your love on offering every moment to Him, seconding His Cross, that more persons may arrive there.

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February 19, 2021February 3, 2021

The Whole Picture

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Sometimes we can see two artificial camps emerge among Catholics–for the purpose of this reflection, we can call them the “Here Belows” and the “There Aboves.”

The Here Belows may forget about Heaven as they pursue justice on this earth. In this, perhaps, they share much with our secular age. From every Bible passage, they may draw only lessons about rectifying income imbalances, improving health care, and promoting the causes of those traditionally underprivileged in our society–for example, minority races, women, and the materially less fortunate. They may make the error of looking to government for the solution, rather than to personal generosity and magnanimity.

The There Aboves equate religion to reaching Heaven, no matter what happens here below. They focus on practices of prayer and the sacraments, and may scrupulously follow the rules. These, however, may run the risk of arrogance and pride, and a grave neglect of charity and even simple kindness to neighbor. They may not engage in making the world a better place, except perhaps by dictating to others what rules they must follow.

Today’s first reading is a marvelous appeal to both groups. It is God who is speaking and indicating what is pleasing and not pleasing to Him–and thus, there is an implicit focus on salvation, on the eternal. But what He is emphasizing is that empty, sterile self-denial is not what pleases Him–but rather, kindness and self-giving to neighbor, particularly those less fortunate.

We may become exasperated. How can we cover all the bases? How can we be passionate about the welfare of the less fortunate to the point that we really take action for their benefit, while also keeping our eyes on Heaven, and caring even more about the eternal salvation of our brothers and sisters?

The answer is simple, albeit not easy: We must take on the Heart of Christ. He spent days healing the sick, not just as a sign, but because (as the Gospel tells us on many occasions) he was moved deeply to pity for them. At the same time, concerned for eternal salvation, He preached hard messages about seeking the narrow path, and how for the purpose of reaching Heaven, mediocrity will not do. And He did not pull punches when it came to defending the truth.

And as a criterion for being one of the “sheep” who reach Heaven, rather than one of the “goats” who are condemned, He issues one single yardstick: Kindness and care for those in need.

We cannot be a true “There Above” without developing a Heart like Christ’s, with deep concern for the earthly and eternal welfare of our brothers and sisters. And, we cannot be a true “Here Below” without developing a Heart like Christ’s, orienting everything we do for others ultimately to the aim of eternal salvation.

Let us use the greatest means available to us to develop this Christ-like heart: Prayer and the sacraments.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Make a bold request to Jesus to transform your heart fully to be like His: “Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my heart more like Yours.” Ask Him to put you through whatever purification is necessary to inflame your heart with ardent love for His people, the same love that He has.

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January 29, 2021January 20, 2021

Farmer’s Bounty

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

The addressees of the letter to the Hebrews were rather impressive. They joyfully endured the confiscation of their possessions, presumably in a moment of persecution, either from the Romans or from the Jewish authorities.

Imagine today’s Christians rejoicing in the confiscation of their property, aware that they had more lasting (eternal) possessions.

This portion of the first reading would suffice for a few days’ meditation. As Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21) Is our hope, even as it pertains to our Christian faith, in worldly victory? Do our foundations shake when the powers that be in the world prove inimical to us and our beliefs?

Special indeed are those Christians whose treasure truly lies in eternity and who, while engaging actively in the world’s betterment on every level (including political), never attach their heart to victory in worldly spheres.

For such a Christian, as for those early Hebrew Christians, today’s psalm resonates:

“The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.”

“Commit to the LORD your way;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.”

For such a person, the process that Jesus describes in today’s gospel is an ongoing phenomenon. Like a farmer sowing seed, such Christians give their lives to their vocation each day in utter simplicity, trusting that their gift will be the seed that the fertile ground–Divine Grace itself–will make grow disproportionately into fruits for the Kingdom of God.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Within the swirl of the world, ask Jesus to help you keep your perspective and your focus. Tell Him that you cannot keep your heart’s focus on eternity without His grace, and ask Him to infuse you with His Holy Spirit. Ask Him to make your harvest as fruitful as the farmer He had in mind when He spoke today’s parable.

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January 24, 2021January 15, 2021

Gone…like That

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

“Teach me your ways, O Lord,” says the psalm of today. And the readings point out some of the key areas where we need that instruction.

The message from the brief second reading from 1 Corinthians teaches us the Lord’s ways in an area too seldom heeded by Christians of today. The reading explains how we must live in the world, and make use of it for what it is worth, but NOT drink deeply of it in an attempt for satisfaction–for the world is passing away so quickly, that (so to speak) it is as good as gone already.

We panic because of fear of socialism, we panic because of fear of fascism, we panic over fear of illness–we have a duty to build a society that is just as possible, but we panic too much because we are not heeding this message from today’s second reading. One thing is to get involved productively in politics. It is quite another to lose our serenity over it. “For the world in its present form is passing away.”

In the first reading, Jonah proclaims repentance to the Ninevites, and they repent. Well may we repent for focusing excessively on worldly goods and ills, without the peace and serenity that come from knowing that we are in the hand of Providence even more truly than we are treading on terra firma.

And today’s gospel affirms the message: “The kingdom of God is at hand.”

As people of the world, even good people, sell their souls in political rage and worldly pursuits of satisfaction, let us focus on that which doesn’t pass: God’s total gift of self to us, and ours to Him in gratitude.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus again that you give Him yourself, your whole self, with all your imperfections and all your loving effort to be more like Him. And, give Him that gift that He especially treasures: The gift of your trust. Tell Him that you trust in Him completely, as Lord of time, history, and the universe, to provide for you and for the world itself, despite the chaos and madness we sometimes perceive around us.

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January 15, 2021January 6, 2021

Turning Point

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

It was nice of Jesus in today’s gospel to forgive the paralytic of his sins before He healed him. Nice little touch, nice add-on. Or, maybe something far, far more consequential than the healing itself.

The first reading tells us why this seemingly “easy” act of mercy on Jesus’ part was of such moment. A key statement: “But the word that they heard did not profit them.” The author is referring to the Hebrews of Exodus, who despite all God had done for them, did not heed His word in obedience.

This key phrase is reminiscent of Jesus’ parable of the sower. That word, that the Hebrews did not heed, was choked by the cares and worries of this world, like the seed that fell among weeds in the parable: Fear of the Canaanites; priority on their bellies. Also, like the seed that fell on rocky ground, the word of God penetrated the hearts of the Hebrews not but superficially. “The word that they heard did not profit them.”

And the letter to the Hebrews goes on to point out again and again, poignantly, the consequence of this failure to heed: “They shall not enter my rest.”

Perhaps the sins of the paralytic were a little fib here, or minor laziness there. Or maybe, like so many, the paralytic’s sin had consisted in failing to heed the word of God due to far too many distractions and too much indifference in his life.

The consequence of indifference to God’s word is in high relief in the first reading: “They shall not enter my rest.”

Jesus would die on the cross for the paralytic, and open the gates to eternal life for him. It may be that, in response to those who approached Him on behalf of the paralytic, His act of forgiving the personal sins of the man–an act merited in the Passion to come–was the deciding moment leading to eternal life for this soul, rather than eternal condemnation.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Pray for souls. Like those who brought the paralytic to Jesus, we can bring souls before Him, that He may shower upon them His mercy. We can do this. It lies within our power. Our zeal to intercede for sinful souls can mean eternal life for them, in place of the condemnation toward which they are now heading .

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