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Earthy Mysticism

Mystical Path

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


There is something very human and beautiful about the casualness of the books of the New Testament, at times. They sometimes relate facts in an almost off-handed way, as a journalist might relay the facts of a local event. And when events are reported in two books in entirely different ways and contexts, but the essential facts line up well, there is a special flavor of authenticity and credibility surrounding those facts.

In today’s first reading, the author refers summarily, by way of context, to the betrayal of Judas, which is spelled out with more drama in the gospels. Similarly, the events associated with Jesus’s public ministry are touched upon in a cursory manner, such as the baptism of John and even the Ascension, when Jesus was “taken up from us.” The most incredible events of all human history are cited merely by way of historical context, as the apostles seek to choose a successor to Judas who has been with them throughout Jesus’ public ministry.

And then today’s gospel brings us right into the dramatic heart of the salvific events of Jesus’ life, alluded to in such a passing manner in the first reading from Acts. Jesus is at the climax of His life on Holy Thursday, and He is passing on His Commandment to His apostles–that they love one another.

Both realities are beautiful: The poetic, almost ethereal reality of Jesus’ life, whereby His mystical teachings and love exalt the hearer above the level of the mundane; and the fact that even at those moments, Jesus’s life itself was entirely mundane, entirely human, lending itself to summary in the simplest of terms.

Today we commemorate the introduction of St. Matthias into the company of the apostles. This glorious combination of mundane and transcendent becomes his reality forever with that event, and his life would never be the same.

How do we live this combination in our own lives? Is our daily contemplative prayer life so vibrant that we live with our hearts in the subtext of eternal salvation–and yet, our commitment to live our human lives responsibly so practical, that we make solid choices about even the simplest aspects of our daily duty?

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus, through the Eucharist, to transform your heart into a heart just like His: In love with God, and in love with humanity; in love with eternity, but also in love with the time within which you can help others to reach eternity.

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Stress and Love

Stress

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


I have lost my job. My girlfriend just broke up with me. I have finals this week. I have a killer deadline at work. My romantic life is going well but is highly perplexing. This year I actually lost money, paying out more to provide for my family than the money I earned. My teenage children are running with the wrong crowd. I have an exciting new business opportunity. I’m really worried that my presentation at work won’t be up to snuff with the executives. I can’t keep all my family’s schedules straight. I am late, late, LATE!

Realities like these make up the stuff of our lives. Sometimes the words of the first reading sound really enticing, on every level: “Give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need.” Perhaps we would like to have just enough, but not too much, guaranteed for life, so that we wouldn’t have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off. Maybe then we would have time for God. Maybe then there would be room in our hearts for Him.

The words in today’s Gospel passage probably resonate less with us: “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.” Whatever our vocation, it involves taking care in some way, directly or indirectly, of others, which by definition means being prepared and provisioned. This is the very definition of responsibility.

And certainly, there is nothing wrong with having a job and earning money, with doing the things we need to do to manage the realities of our lives, as part of our vocation.

Perhaps the error does not lie in the sort of things we do. Perhaps the error does not lie in how much we have or do not have. Perhaps, for many of us, the error does not lie in attachment to riches and luxuries.

Perhaps what keeps us from living Gospel detachment from earthly realities, rather, is our attachment to fear. Fear is the unfortunate fruit of Adam and Eve’s desire to be “like gods.” And in our lives, it points directly to the sin of pride. Unfortunately, when we adopt the role of God in our lives, with that comes God’s responsibility: That is, the final, buck-stops-here responsibility to provide for ourselves and those we love.

If our attitude is more like that of the new Eve, the Blessed Virgin Mary, we recognize in a real, practical, palpable way that we live entirely dependent on God’s role as Lord and Provider. We may still do the same sorts of things in our lives, but we relax. Even though I could lose my job if this presentation comes out badly, even though I may missing something crucial on my family’s schedule, even though I feel unable to make my relations with my spouse go smoothly, even though the eternal salvation of my children is not guaranteed (!), It’s all good. It’s all OK. The buck simply doesn’t stop with me.

We perceive the terrible effect of our human race’s definitive “no” to God with original sin, in the immense difficulty we find in letting go of our absolute sense of responsibility. Ironically, though, letting go of this is critical to carry out, even imperfectly, our true responsibility: The responsibility to love God above all things, and our neighbor as ourselves. Fear chokes our ability to love.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Examine your life with Jesus. Try to put your finger on the areas where you act as if the buck stopped with you, and where the fear you so carefully strive to conceal is controlling you. Talk to Him about what guarantees He will give to you if you place those really risky areas in your life in His hands and stop worrying about them. If you do this, will you let Him down? Or will He, rather, take care of you?

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