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Burning Love

Fire

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


They say that some old couples who have been married many years begin even to look like each other.

Much more so the saints, who have consistently dedicated time every day to draw near to God. They do not just begin to “look” like Him–the divine love which burns in Christ’s heart begins to burn in theirs as well; spontaneously, they handle each situation with the very love and attitude of Christ.

We have vivid evidence of this in today’s reading from St. Paul, who is undertaking the simple task of transferring a Christian from his own service back to that of Philemon. In the letter accompanying the transfer, he says:

“So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.”

In this simple act, Paul’s attitude beautifully mirrors Christ’s attitude toward you and me in the very act of our redemption: “If he owes you anything, charge it to me. I will pay. Welcome him as you would me.”

If we understood the enrichment of heart that awaits us, we would not miss a day of contemplative prayer. And yet, since even under intense exposure to the grace of God, our hearts grow at the pace of grass in the noonday sun, it often takes real faith to trust that God is working our transformation when we do not deserve it.

When our faith in this interior transformation is weak, we look outside to try to see signs that God is transforming the world. We look for signs in the political sphere. When all the while, as Christ tells us in today’s gospel, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Read the first reading in the light of Christ’s redemption, seeing Christ’s attitude toward us reflected in Paul’s attitude toward Onesimus. Would you like to have a heart like that–so spontaneously conforming to the love of Christ? Ask Jesus for the gift of perseverance in prayer. Ask Him to be your strength as you strive to be faithful to your daily touch points with Him, so that your heart will burn with the same love for others that characterizes Jesus Christ, and which He shares with His intimates.

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Saints: Oddballs…or Not

Saint Peter

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


On this feast of All Saints, there are two common themes that jump out from the readings: 1) The joy of those who choose God and heaven–the saints–is to see the face of God; and 2) Those who choose God and heaven–the saints–really stand out from others in the world as exceptions; they’re really different.

The second point in a way relates to the first. It is already very different to derive happiness primarily from–well–looking at someone. Yet this is what we see in the first reading and the psalm. “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face,” says the psalm. And in the first reading, we see a horde of white-robed folks standing, looking at God, and saying, “Amen.  Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever.  Amen.”

Most people on the planet seem, at least on the practical level if not on the theoretical, to define happiness as self-enrichment, whether financial or otherwise–development of talents and potential, development of influence, more kids, more exposure to travel, etc.

By contrast, most people wouldn’t see happiness defined as standing and praising someone.

Perhaps the two definitions aren’t as far apart as they seem, though. If we take a closer look at the self-enrichment definition of happiness, it’s all about new experiences, and the ability to have them: Achievements, travel, more luxury, parenthood, etc. The unique attribute of the experience of God is that, unlike anything else, it is infinitely and constantly new, surprising, and wonderful. Whereas praising something that is old hat would be boring, the most spectacular new experiences in our lives evoke spontaneous expressions of awe. For example, seeing Niagara Falls for the first time. This is a dim reflection of what it is like to behold the face of God for eternity.

So much so, that Catholic doctrine defines heaven as the “beatific vision” (beatific = blessed, or happy).

Further on the second point, how the saints are different: In the gospel, Jesus contrasts the ways of the saints sharply with the ways of the world. Meekness, poverty, hunger/thirst, persecution. But the drastic contrast does not lie in any lack of desire for happiness on the part of the saints. Rather, the saints make a decision not to center their aspirations for happiness on experiences that become boring very, very quickly, as is the case with all self-enriching experiences on this earth. Rather, they choose a path that corresponds to enjoying forever the one experience that never becomes tiresome.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Reflect on your life and what drives you. Can you truly say that your heart is centered on enhancing the one experience that lasts and brings happiness, which is your relationship with God? Does your life mirror the beatitudes from today’s gospel? Or do you focus on going from novel experience to novel experience, like so many others in the world? How did Jesus live in this regard? Talk to Him about your life and how He may want you to adjust your priorities. Talk to Him about whether or not your relationship with Him really is the pearl of great price, worth sacrificing all other “riches” to obtain.

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