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Paradoxes and Mysteries of the Incarnation

blog-123015In the ancient Church and up until rather recently, one genuflected at the two references to the Incarnation during the Mass: during the Creed and in the Last Gospel (John 1). Why was this done? It was explained to me that the mystery of the Incarnation is so deep, one can only fall in silent reverence.

There are many paradoxes and seeming impossibilities in the Incarnation. They cannot be fully solved, so they claim our reverence. We genuflected in the past, and today we bow today at the mention of the Incarnation in the creed for it is a deep mystery.

As we continue to celebrate Christmas I would like to list some of the paradoxes of Christmas. I want to say as little about them as possible—just enough to make the paradox clear. This paucity of words (not common with me) is in reverence to the mystery and also to invite your reflection.

  1. The Infinite One becomes an infant.
  2. An antiphon for the Christmas season says, How can we find words to praise your dignity O Virgin Mary, for he whom the very heavens cannot contain, you carried in your womb.
  3. An old Latin carol (in Dulci Jublio) says, Alpha et O, Matris in Gremio (Alpha and Omega, sitting in mommy’s lap).
  4. He who looks down on all creation looks up to see his mother. The most high looks up from a cradle. Of this moment even the pagans wrote with longing and tenderness: Incipe, parve puer, risu cognoscere matrem … ipsa tibi blandos fundent cunabula flores, occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni occidet (Begin, little boy, to recognize the face of your mother with a smile … for you, your own cradle will bear delightful flowers, the serpent will die and the plant that hides its venom) – Virgil 4th Eclogue.
  5. He who indwells all creation is born in homelessness, no place to dwell.
  6. He, to whom all things in heaven and on earth belong, is born in poverty and neediness.
  7. He is the mighty Word through whom all things were made. He is the very utterance of God, the Voice which summons all creation into existence. Of this Word, this Utterance, this Voice, Scripture says, The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD is full of majesty … The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness … The voice of the LORD makes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forests bare; and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (Ps. 29) Yet this voice is now heard as the cooing and crying of an infant.
  8. His infant hand squeezes his mother’s finger, as infants do. From that same hand, the universe tumbled into existence. That same hand is steering the stars in their courses.
  9. He who holds all creation together in Himself (Col 1:17) is now held by his mother.
  10. He who is the Bread of Life is born in Bethlehem (House of Bread) and lies in a feeding trough (manger).
  11. He who is our sustainer and our food is now hungry and fed by his mother.
  12. Angels and Archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and Seraphim thronged the air! But only his mother in her maiden bliss, could worship the beloved with a kiss. (Christina Rosetti “In the Bleak Midwinter”).

Each of these is meant to be a meditation on the great mystery of the Incarnation. Please chime in with your additions to this list!

A paradox is something that defies intuition or challenges the common way of thinking. It unsettles us or startles us into thinking more deeply. The word paradox comes from the Greek para (beside, off to the side, or above) and dokein (to think or to seem). Hence a paradox is something “off to the side” of the usual way of seeing or thinking about things. If you’re going to relate to God you’re going to deal with a lot of paradox, because God’s ways and His thinking often defy those of humans. God is not irrational but He often acts in ways that do not conform to worldly expectations.

This Christmas, consider these paradoxes and learn from them. Remember, though, that mysteries are to be lived more so than solved. Reverence is a more proper response to mystery than is excessive curiosity. Here, more is learned in silence than by many words.

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A List of Biblical Family Values to Cultivate

In Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Family, the reading from the Letter to the Colossians sets forth values that ought to be cultivated by Christians, especially in the family setting.

The third chapter of the Letter to the Colossians, while speaking in a general way about vices to be avoided and virtues to be cultivated, focuses in particular on the family, building to the conclusions about wives submitting to their husbands, husbands loving their wives, and children obeying their parents. For this reason, I use Colossians 3 as a central text in marriage preparation.

For the sake of brevity in this post, I’d like to focus on verses 12 through 17, which emphasize the virtues to cultivate. The other verses (1-11 and 17ff) contain wonderful information as well, but they can be dealt with it at another time.

As is often the case, when we look at the words and details in Scripture, it is helpful to examine the Greek text, which gives a richer sense of what these virtues really summon us to.

Here, then, is the text for our reflection, followed by my commentary:

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col 3:12-17).

The text begins with a kind of general declaration of our identity. The simple word “therefore” articulates the teaching that what we should do flows from who and what we are (agens sequitur esse (action follows being)). Thus all the virtues that follow in the passage should flow from the fact that we are God’s “chosen ones,” that we are “holy” and “beloved.”

These are not just titles; they are manifest realities that flow from our reception of the sacraments and inclusion into Christ as members of His Body. These virtues are available to us as a direct result of our union with Christ, therefore we ought to lay hold of them and love out of them.

The text says that we are chosen. Being chosen is a deeply mysterious reality for which we can only be grateful. Having been chosen, we are thereby equipped, empowered, and enabled to live the virtues that will follow if we will but lay hold of them through the power of God’s grace.

The text says that we are holy. To be “holy,” means to be set apart, to be special, to be uncommon. In no way is it acceptable for us to live ordinary or mediocre lives. No! We have been chosen by God to be set apart. We ought to exhibit outstanding virtue, blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine like stars (Phil 2:15). Jesus also summons us to be salt and light (cf. Matt 5). Thus these lines from Colossians set a kind of foundation that is necessary for all that follows.

The text says that we should clothe ourselves in these virtues. The image here is essentially that of a garment. In many places Scripture speaks of our life and virtue in terms of a garment. We are told in other passages that we are clothe ourselves in Christ, and that we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ making no provision for the desires of the flesh (Rom 13:14). Jesus tells a parable about a man who came into a wedding feast not clothed in a wedding garment. The man was thrown into the outer darkness because the garment is righteousness (cf Matt 22:1-13).

The Book of Revelation speaks of this garment as being given by God to those who are his holy ones (Rev 6:11). Thus the garment we are to put on is a kind of wedding garment, a garment provided by God, a garment of righteousness (Rev 19:8). We are to adore the Lord in holy attire. We are to be clothed in Christ and in the beauty of holiness.

Having received this garment by God’s grace, let us look at the list of virtues that follow, the virtues in which we are to be clothed.

I. Heartfelt compassion – The Greek text is a bit more earthy and explicit: σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (splanchna oiktirmou), meaning most literally a “gut-level” compassion.

For the ancients, things were shifted down a bit. The heart was the place of thought and deliberation. The “gut” or viscera was the location of feelings. What we call the brain today and consider the center of thought, was believed by the ancients to have the purpose of cooling the blood. We still maintain some vestige of these ancient expressions when we speak of a “gut reaction” or of having “butterflies in our stomach.”

So splágxnon (heartfelt) refers literally to the visceral parts (stomach, liver, bowels, etc.) and figuratively to the emotions. Thus note that these are “deep” feelings, not just passing or surface feelings. The insight here is the capacity to feel deep emotions, to have sympathy, empathy, etc.

Oiktirmós (compassion) refers to deep feelings about someone’s difficulty or misfortune. Note that the prefix oik is likely related to the Greek word oikos (house). Thus this locates the virtue of compassion especially in the household or family.

The virtue to be cultivated here is a deep, tender, family-like mercy or compassion for others, especially in their misfortunes or struggles. It is to have the kind of mercy that usually is directed toward a brother, sister, child, or parent. It is the tender compassion that befits the family.

II. Kindness – In our culture, this virtue is often misunderstood as meaning “niceness” or pleasantness. But in this passage kindness is meant in a far more active sense.

The Greek word used is χρηστότητα (chrestoteta). Though kindness is a reasonably good translation, the Greek word speaks more to having a disposition that is well-suited, useful, or profitable in a given situation. Chrestotes means that something is “well-fitting” or really needed.

Thus kindness refers to more than being nice or pleasant. It refers to meeting real needs. St. Paul lists kindness (chrēstótēs) as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). Jesus uses this word when describing his yoke as being easy, i.e., “well-fitting.”

Kindness here is to be understood as the Spirit-produced goodness that meets given needs in a suitable way and avoids human harshness.

III. Humility – This virtue is also often misunderstood today, to mean having a low estimation of oneself. But true humility is reverence for the truth of oneself.

The Greek word used is ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynen), which is derived from tapeinós (low, humble) and phrḗn (a “moderation” regulated by a proper inner perspective). And thus humility is the virtue that helps us to moderate between having too high an opinion of ourselves, and having no sense at all of our gifts or denying/hiding them.

Scripturally, “lowliness” is not an artificial or purely negative self-assessment that ignores our gifts and talents. Rather, it comes from comparing ourselves to the Lord instead of to others. This brings our sense of self into alignment with the proper standard. Before God who can boast? And thus this virtue is keeps one from being self-exalting, self-determining, and self-inflated. For the believer, having humility means living in complete dependence on the Lord and realizing that whatever good we have is a gift from Him for which we should be grateful (rather that glorifying ourselves because of it).

IV. Gentleness – Gentleness is often misunderstood as the quality of a person who is mild-mannered and seldom animated. But the virtue of gentleness is one that moderates strength and anger without destroying them.

The Greek word used is πραΰτητα (prauteta) and is related to the word praótēs, meaning meekness. Aristotle defined meekness or gentleness as the proper mean or middle between too much anger and not enough. There are times when not only is some anger appropriate, but it would actually be wrong not to show it.

Thus gentleness or meekness refers to the quality possessed by one who has authority over his anger and is able to moderate its use. Meekness has sometimes been called “gentle strength,” because it expresses power along with reserve and gentleness.

So gentleness is a virtue that moderates our use of anger and channels it to good ends when we do have to exhibit it. It is the perfect virtue for a parent who needs to discipline a child. Some degree of anger is necessary in order to underscore the seriousness of a matter, but not so much as to be counterproductive. Gentleness is a virtue that helps one to steer a middle course with anger that avoids both excess and defect.

V. Patience – Patience is the willingness to suffer on account of others, often for a long period of time.

The Greek word used is μακροθυμίαν (makrothumian), which comes from makrós (long) and thymós (passion).

Thus the virtue described here is “long-suffering.” It is the ability to wait a sufficient amount of time before expressing anger or using some kind of force.

Patience is a virtue that embraces steadfastness and staying power. In our families, it is often necessary to “stay in the conversation” for a long time before we see results. Parents need to look beyond the moment to the longer perspective. Husbands and wives need to realize that change in their spouse may take a long time, and require much prayer and ongoing help. In our divorce, cut-and-run culture, patience is a virtue that helps us to stay and to strive to work out differences.

VI. Bearing with one another – This is a related virtue that helps us to “stay in the conversation” even when progress is slow.

The Greek word used is ἀνεχόμενοι (anechomenoi), which comes from aná (up or through (as in seeing something through or completing a process)) and echo (to have (still)).

Thus the virtue of bearing with others describes “still putting up” with them even after going through a course of action that has yet to produce all the desired results. It is forbearing, enduring, persisting.

We can see how crucial is this virtue to endure even when change seems slow or unlikely.

VII. Forgiveness (of one another) – If any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive him as the Lord forgives you. This is another essential virtue, but one that causes a lot of fear and consternation. Many people think that to forgive is either to pretend that nothing happened or to say that there should be no consequences for wrongdoing. Neither notion is necessarily contained in the concept.

The Greek word used is χαριζόμενοι (charizomenoi), from cháris (grace or favor) and menoi (to extend or grant). Thus the Greek word means to freely show favor, or to extend mercy or kindness.

To forgive is to receive the grace from God to no longer be vengefully angry, seeking retribution. It is the grace that allows us to let go of our anger and our need to hurt or shun the one(s) who have harmed us. It does not mean that we can live in peace with everyone, especially when the one who has done the harm shows little capacity or willingness to change. Sometimes the best we can do is to extend the grace of indicating that we are no longer filled with venom or with the desire to seek vengeance.

Through forgiveness we let go of the need to change the past, and we surrender the illusion that vengeance will make everything all right. The degree to which we can resume a normal relationship with the person(s) will obviously vary based on the particular circumstances. But forgiveness helps us to bury the hatchet, so that crime doesn’t continually bring further crime.

As we can see, our capacity to forgive others is directly related to how deeply we grasp the enormous mercy that has been extended to us. Too many people today have little knowledge of, or appreciation for, the incredible degree to which they have been forgiven. And thus they are poorly equipped to forgive others. Too many are “unbroken” in their spiritual walk and manifest more as Pharisees than as forgiven and grateful disciples.

VIII. Putting on love – Putting on love binds all the virtues together in perfect unity. The concept of love (agape) “binding,” “perfecting,” and “unifying” the other virtues speaks to the way that love manifests a kind of maturity in the Christian life and crowns the other virtues. The journey to love requires that the Lord remove a lot of sin and selfishness from us, and the other virtues assist with this. Having done this, He is able to give us the capacity to actually love other people with tender affection and loyalty. Believe it or not, God can actually give us the power to love other people—even our enemies and those who trouble us. This is not just a slogan; it is a virtue and a reality for those are purified by God’s grace and brought to the increasing perfection of greater maturity.

The particulars of the phrase “bond of perfection” are instructive. The Greek text is σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος (syndesmos tes teleiotetos). Sýndesmos comes from sýn (close identity with) and déō (to bind). So the bond referred to here is a close identity, which produces harmony between those joined. And thus we are taught that love has close identity with all the other virtues and in a sense cannot be separated from them. The relationship between love and other virtue is two-way: love supports, perfects, and infuses them; and they help to clear the way for love.

As for perfection, the Greek word teleiótēs refers to the perfection of completion. It refers to something that has reached perfection in a cumulative sense, by attaining its telos or “proper end.”

IX. Letting the peace of Christ rule in your heart – We are called to peace because we are members of one body. The concept of peace ruling in our hearts is a fascinating one in the Greek text.

In English, the idea engendered by the word “peace” is rather abstract and incomplete; it refers more to an absence of conflict than a truly positive and rich reality.

But the Greek word for peace is εἰρήνη (eirene), which comes from eirō (to join or tie together into a whole). And thus the “peace” referred to by the Greek is the experience of being made whole, as when all essential parts are joined together. Peace is God’s gift of wholeness, of being complete, of being integrated. It is a far more beautiful gift than simply not being at war or not arguing.

The concept of peace ruling in our hearts is even more interesting in the Greek, which literally speaks of peace being a βραβεύω brabeuó (one acting as an umpire). And thus peace in this sense arbitrates or “makes the call” in a conflict between contending forces, whether within us or outside us.

Thus when we are whole, complete, and serene (because what is essential is up and running) this wholeness and completeness “calls the shots,” so that we do not overreact in error and become vexed at what is not real or accurate.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to receive this gift of peace, this wholeness, this completeness. And when we receive it, we become a real blessing to our family and to others!

X. Thankfulness – Gratitude is one of the most essential virtues to cultivate. It is a discipline of the mind and heart wherein we remember, we have present, what God has done for us so that we are moved, grateful, and different because of it. A grateful person is joyful and serene. It’s pretty difficult to be grateful while also being grouchy, stingy, unkind, or unmerciful. Gratitude is a wonderfully transformative grace and virtue!

The Greek word used is εὐχάριστος (eucharistos), which comes from eú (well) and charízomai (to grant freely).

In other words, by this grace and virtue, we are able to appreciate that all is gift and that God is so very good to us. God does this “freely,” not because we have earned it or deserve it, but because He is good, provident, and loving.

XI. Letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly – We do this as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in our hearts.

The notion of allowing the word of Christ dwell in us also involves a “household” word in Greek: ἐνοικείτω (enoikeito). Once again we see the root word oikos (house or home). Thus the text directs us to make a home for the word of the Lord in our mind and heart. The word of the Lord cannot be something of which we are only vaguely aware. It is to dwell in us richly, abundantly, and habitually. It is to have a home within us, an abiding presence.

And having cultivated this for ourselves, we are able to teach others, especially the young. The Greek word used is διδάσκοντες (didaskontes), which means teaching or more literally “causing to learn.” But the sort of teaching meant here is discursive teaching, which involves the use of ongoing discussion or discourse. The part of speech of the word is a participle and thereby indicates an ongoing action, that of teaching one another. The faithful are always expected to be discussing God’s word, learning it, and teaching it.

The text also speaks of admonishing. The English word contains the notion of warning. But the Greek word νουθετοῦντες (nouthetountes) literally means “to place the mind” (from noús (mind) and títhēmi (to place)). The Greek word contains the idea of appealing to the mind by supplying doctrinal and spiritual content that exerts positive pressure on someone’s logic or reasoning. Thus perhaps “urging” is another way one could translate the Greek.

The Christian home must be a place where the faith is learned and taught! Parents absolutely must read Bible stories to their children. The faith must be learned, discussed, and handed on. This task cannot simply be relegated to Sunday school or the pulpit. Parents and elders in the home should immerse themselves in God’s teaching so as to be able to teach it, urge it, and deeply plant it in the hearts and minds of other family members, especially children.

Psalms, hymns, and inspired songs are often a way to put the word more deeply into our minds. Music can often reach the depths of the soul in ways that the spoken word alone cannot. As a preacher who has a great choir, I am deeply aware of this. On a given Sunday, it is often the choir that “brings the message home” with impact.

XII. Doing it all in the name of the Lord Jesus – The expression “In the name of Jesus” is more than merely a way to end a prayer or a slogan. Doing something in the name of Jesus means doing it in accordance with His will. If I were to say to my congregation, “In the name of the Bishop, I hereby declare that Friday is not a holy day of obligation,” I’d better have checked that out with the Bishop to make sure that is what he has decided!

Therefore, this final admonition is a call for us to be deeply immersed in the actual will of Jesus through the study of His Word, the study of His Church’s teaching, and through prayer.

If every family member would do this, innumerable arguments and power struggles would be avoided, because all would be on the same page and of the same mind and heart.

OK, so this has been a workout! But there is here a rich tapestry of virtues to cultivate, for us as individuals and for our family life.

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How to Understand Dry and Difficult Prayer

Most who seek the Lord in prayer experience times of dryness and difficulty, times in which it seems to us that the Lord hides His face. We pray; we call out; we seek Him; but He doesn’t seem to answer; it almost seems as if He hides from us.

A well-known atheist was once asked what he would say to God if he were to discover upon his death that God exists. He replied simply, “I would ask, ‘Why did you hide?’” Many of us who do believe might respond, “He doesn’t hide! All creation shouts His presence, shouts, ‘I was designed!’” But most believers can sympathize to some extent and say that while we have once experienced God’s presence profoundly, there are also times in which we yearn for but cannot find Him, times in which He seems to hide from us.

So, then, it remains a legitimate concern, even among believers, that at times God mysteriously hides His face. Indeed the Psalms, inspired by God Himself, state clearly, Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not reject us forever. Why do You hide Your face and forget our affliction and our oppression? For our soul has sunk down into the dust; Our body cleaves to the earth (Ps 44:23-25).

Yes, the conundrum of God hiding His face, and the despair we experience because of it, are constant themes in the spiritual life.  Many saints, including St. Teresa of Avila and Blessed (soon-to-be-Saint) Teresa of Calcutta, have discussed long periods (even years) of dryness in prayer. It is typical of their spiritual experience.

What are we to make of this? How can we understand it?  Permit me to propose my own feeble answers. I am not a saint, just a fellow sinner still walking this earth. But I do walk with over twenty people in spiritual direction for them, and I myself have a spiritual director. I, too, ponder this deep problem. I refer you first to St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Therese of Lisieux.

I have only this advantage: I live along with you in the 21st century. Having read the saints, I can tell you that the difficulties, dryness, and distance in prayer are not new; they are common. They occur no less in our time than in theirs. Let me therefore, in humility, present you with my own thoughts on the matter of dry prayer. They are certainly drawn from the lives of the saints, but at the end of the day they are merely my own ideas.

I present the difficulties of prayer in the five subheadings below. I do not argue that the answer are complete, only that they are the result of pondering experiences from my life and from the lives of many spiritual “directees” (more than 40 over the years) who have frequented my rectory over the past 25 years.

At the outset, I want to prescind from the question of mortal sin. It goes without saying that those who are in unrepentant mortal sin are going to have difficulty beholding the face of God (if able to do so at all), due to a severely darkened intellect and a hardened heart. Scripture itself says, Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear (Is 59:1-2).

Therefore, the first step in deeper prayer is to strive to be free of mortal sin, particularly that of an unrepentant nature. There are some who struggle with frequent occurrences of what is it least objectively mortal sin, but in their humility they cry out to God and confess frequently. This is far less dangerous than those who are dismissive of the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church, who pridefully call good what God calls sin. They claim to hear God, but it is really a demon they hear, one who deceives them by masquerading as an angel of light.

In this post, I do not propose to address those who are in obstinate mortal sin. Rather, the explanations here for dryness in prayer are addressed to those who are either largely free of mortal sin, or at least a repentant of it and frequent in confessing it.

With these disclaimers in mind, let’s consider five possible understandings of dryness and difficulty in prayer.

I. Normal – There is nothing unusual about experiencing dryness, difficulty, and distraction in prayer. Here, the word “normal” is used to mean that it is a common Christian experience. Every saint who has ever written about prayer has discussed it. Even the great mystics—who often experienced deep, unitive prayer—experienced, even in the midst of such profound encounters, that God seemed distant or even wholly absent.

Why this happens will be discussed more in some of the points to follow. But, to be sure, it is caught up in the mystery of God’s providence for us.

For the purpose of this first point, simply note that if you are experiencing dryness, distance, or difficulty in prayer, you are in good company. The greatest saints, far more holy than you and I, experienced the same thing. It is part of God’s mysterious providence for us. Acceptance, which is not the same as approval (in the sense of liking something), is essential for us.

God has his reasons for permitting this, even if those reasons are not immediately obvious to us. This is especially true for those of us who live in the commercial world, where the customer is always right and marketing seeks to be attractive, creative, and appealing at the most immediate and fleshly level of instant gratification. We expect next-day delivery or even immediate download of all that we desire. But God prefers crockpots to microwaves. Some of His gifts require lengthy preparation and a sturdy foundation. Further, many of his greatest blessings require paradoxical struggles. To continue the cooking imagery: you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

Here, simply note that difficulty, dryness, and distance in prayer are quite normal among those who seek God.

II. Needed – One of the great questions in our life is whether we seek the consolation of God or the God of consolation. Dryness, difficulty, and distance in prayer are ways of testing us. For indeed, if it is merely the consolations of God that inspire us to pray, one way to disclose this is to remove those very consolations. If prayer were all joy, and deep, satisfying union, it might be that the root of our prayer was merely wanting to experience those joys and pleasures on our terms. As St. Augustine points out in his Confessions, too easily do the beautiful gifts of God become ends in themselves rather than something that draws us to God, who made them (Conf. Lib. 7, 10, 18; 10, 27).

Our hearts are very complex; quite quickly we become content with the gifts rather than the giver. Thus, difficulty in prayer is needed in order to help us purify our desires, rooting them in desire for God Himself rather than merely in the consolations and gifts He can give us.

One of the most constant and unvarying mandates given by saints and spiritual directors down through the ages has been that we must persevere in prayer, consolations or not! Difficulty, dryness, and distance are need to help us to purify our desires.

III. Nature – Part of the explanation of our difficulty in prayer is merely our own human (fallen) nature. We tend to be enthralled by something when it is new, but quickly bored once it becomes “old” to us. Tragically, this is at the root of many marital struggles. A man marries a beautiful bride, but once he has uncovered the mystery of her, he grows bored. Unless his love for her is rooted more deeply than merely her body, he grows complacent and bored.

This happens in other relationships as well, including our relationship with God. Finding Him newly, we thrill in the glory of His truth revealed, but our zeal fades when the message repeats and the “spicy new foods” become the more basic “meat and potatoes” of doctrine and daily prayer.

Frankly, our natures are fallen. Though we thrill at what is new, we yawn at what is repeated and time-tested.” Marketers shout, “New and improved!” They do not crow, “Old and time-tested!” They know our fallen nature.

Given our nature, we need to ask the Lord to help us overcome this difficulty in prayer. The honest truth is that what wins the day is the basic meat and potatoes of prayer, scripture, sacraments, and holy fellowship (cf Acts 2:42). Spicy foods are tasty, but they often produce heartburn and indigestion. Bland foods may be less immediately desirable, but they ultimately nourish us and provide what we need. We must ask the Lord to help us overcome our fallen nature. We must ask the Lord to deliver us from a kind of “attention deficit disorder.” We cannot bear lengthy conversations; we want only brief sound bites. Our fallen condition seeks mere entertainment rather than true enlightenment. We want relief more than healing.

IV. Not alone – Personal prayer is not the only aspect of our spiritual lives. Other aspects are communal prayer, the reception of the sacraments, the reading of Scripture, and holy fellowship. (cf acts 2:42).  When at times you find that your private prayer has become dry, you should look more widely to other aspects of your spiritual life.

It has been my own experience that when personal prayer grows dry, other aspects of my spiritual life light up. For example, I may find the breviary and the reading of Scriptures to be particularly inspirational. Or perhaps, I may find liturgy to be lively and moving. Perhaps I will find my capacity to find Christ in others, in what they say and offer to me, to be particularly powerful.

God speaks to us in many ways, not merely in our private or personal prayer. Look for God in creation, in the people whom you encounter, and in the events of your day. Listen for Him in the Scriptures and in the holy liturgy. Even when your personal prayer is in a state of difficulty, perhaps you will find that the sound of a particular song or the glory of the Mass will move you.

Look to the Lord and all the ways that He reveals Himself. Sometimes He is quiet during our personal prayer so that we will seek Him in other places: the liturgy or the celebration of the sacraments. Too easily, we insist on a personal relationship with the Lord in prayer. He is there, but He also insists we find Him communally in in the wider Church that is His Body.

V. Numbness is a feeling – Most people describe numbness (i.e., dryness) as a lack of feeling. But numbness actually is a feeling itself.

Consider the times you may have experienced a limb fall asleep. On one level, there seems to be no feeling in it or ability to move it. But on another, deeper level, there is a feeling, even a sort of pain that accompanies a limb that is going numb.

The numbness of our spiritual feelings may cause us to feel spiritually dead. But if we go a bit deeper, numbness speaks a kind of a pain of longing. All the great saints spoke of this as the dark side of contemplative prayer. So beautiful is the prayer of union, that its absence produces a kind of pain, a longing that hurts, but in a way, it “hurts so good.” It reminds us of the beauty of the prayer of union, just as thirst reminds us of the glory and beauty of water.

Absence often makes the heart grow fonder.

Yes, numbness is a feeling. And God permits it in order that our longings might grow ever deeper. Who appreciates a glass of water more, a man who is been in the desert for days or a man who has just had four beers? The answer is obvious. Aridity produces an intensity of longing that will not be satisfied until water is supplied. Too easily, abundance can draw us to contempt for spiritual gifts.  Therefore, God permits aridity in order to intensify our longing and to give us greater satisfaction in the water, when it is supplied.

These, then, are my own poor reflections on the difficulty, dryness, and distance that sometimes come with prayer. I speak from experience as both a spiritual director and a spiritual “directee.” Consult the saints first. If they tell you something different, then they are right and I am wrong. But if my words can help in any way, here they are.

This song speaks to spiritual difficulties and asking for God’s help:

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What Do Saints Fear?

blog.12.27The average person may worry about any number of things: finances; security; strife in the family, community, nation, or world; health; the status of a relationship; how he is perceived by others. These tend to be the sorts of things that cause concern.

What do saints worry about? To provide an answer, let’s consider the words of one of our canonized saints. First, here is the context within which the saint spoke.

Napoleon III had surrendered to the Prussians, bringing on the disaster. The Mother General put the sisters at the disposition of the Ministry of War. A field hospital was installed [at the convent for the retreating and battered troops] … Military uniforms mingled with the black and white silhouettes in the courtyard and corridors of the Motherhouse … the sick and the wounded were [all about] the convent. Twenty-five novices were sent to communities in the south and the postulants were sent home to their families. The Prussians were coming and all the area was on alert … Cannons were installed on the inner terrace of the motherhouse and in the novitiate gardens … On the night of October 24, 1870 … a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky. The horizon was all ablaze … you might have thought it was a sea of blood … [but it was] an aurora borealis … a very impressive display … The Prussians were at the borders.

[And here is the question posed to our saint, who was considered by many to be a visionary]:

“The Prussians are at our gates. Don’t they inspire you with terror?”

“No.”

“So there is nothing to fear then?”

“I fear only bad Catholics.”

“Do you fear nothing else?”

“No, nothing.”

[Bernadette Speaks. A Life of St. Bernadette Soubirous in Her Own Words, by Fr. Rene Larentin, Pauline Books, pp. 415-416].

Yes, these are the words of St. Bernadette, the visionary of Lourdes. In the midst of great travail, she could only identify the fear of bad Catholics.

Really? You don’t fear the enemy troops at the door? The loss of life, limb, or livelihood? The loss of land or political power? All the innumerable sufferings that are sure to come? You only fear bad Catholics?

Such is the likely response to St. Bernadette’s terse, succinct reply that she fears only bad Catholics. To the worldly minded, the fear of losing life, limb, or livelihood would far outrank some fear as to whether or not Catholics were attending Mass, saying prayers, or “fumbling beads.” To them, a reply like this sounds almost insensitive.

But to the spiritually minded, bad Catholics are something to fear, indeed something more to fear than even suffering and death. Bad Catholics are at extreme risk of losing their eternal salvation. Further, due to their poor example, others are also put at serious risk.

There is nothing more important than our eternal salvation—nothing. Life, limb, livelihood, and keeping body and soul together are nice; but they are temporary things and we are not to love them more than our eternal life. Indeed, we should gladly cast them aside if necessary and leave this vale of tears, this exile, and go home to live with God.

Bad Catholics risk both their own salvation and that of others. Bad Catholics prefer the world and its values to that of Christ and His Kingdom. They will not endure suffering, inconvenience or any difficulty for the Kingdom of God. They will not accept corrections to their worldview, politics, or mindset based on the Faith. They are misled and they mislead others. The truth of the Gospel is not their light or compass; it does not provide their marching orders. They will do whatever is expedient to achieve their worldly goals. The cross is not for them. Rather, pleasure, popularity, and possessions are their focus. As St. Paul says, For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things (Phil 3:18-19).

To some degree, we all suffer the tendency to be bad Catholics. We all sin, fall short, and have some bad priorities. But today there are increasing numbers of bad Catholics who are stubbornly unrepentant about this, instead insisting that the Church and Scriptures should be changed. This is a lamentable and fearful situation both for them and for those they influence.

St. Bernadette was not naïve as she looked to the horizon and saw the looming threat. There is indeed a strong, direct connection between bad faith and war. At the time of St. Bernadette, Catholics and Christians in Europe had been killing each other for centuries. War is but the cumulative effect of sin, the collective rejection of God’s commandments and of the call to love God, our neighbor, and our enemy. At times, wars of defense have been and are sadly necessary. But wars among Christians are an especially poignant reminder of the failure to live the faith on innumerable levels.

Whatever the outcome of wars; regardless of who wins conflicts between passing, earthly kingdoms; the battle for eternal salvation through repentance and faith is far more important. It is the true priority of the saints.

What do the saints fear? Bad Catholics. Really? Nothing else? No, nothing.

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God’s Plan for Marriage and Family – A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Holy-Family-blogHere in the middle of the Christmas Octave, the Church bids us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. On the old calendar, the feast of the Holy Family fell on the Sunday after Epiphany, which makes some sense. For it is a bit odd with the new calendar to read a gospel portraying Jesus at twelve years of age when we celebrated His birth just a few days ago. And then next week, on the Feast of Epiphany, we revert back to a gospel in which He is an infant.

Nevertheless, here we are. Perhaps it is a good time to reflect on family life. For at Christmas time, immediate and extended family often gather together. On this feast of the Holy Family, let us consider three things: the structure of the family, the struggles of the family, and our strategy for the family.

I. Structure – All through the readings for today’s Mass, we are instructed on the basic form or structure of the family.

  1. God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons (Sirach 3:2).
  2. May your wife be like a fruitful vine, in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants, around your table (Psalm 128:3).
  3. Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they may not become discouraged (Colossians 3:20–21).
  4. Each year, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover … Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety (Luke 2:45, 51,).
  5. And he was obedient to them … And Jesus advanced in age and wisdom and favor before God and man (Luke 2:51–52).

And thus we see the basic structure of the family:

  1. A father in honor over his children
  2. A wife and mother, supportive of her husband and his authority.
  3. A mother, having authority over her children, supported, loved, and encouraged by her husband and obeyed by her children
  4. Children who both honor and obey their parents
  5. Fathers, and by extension mothers, who instruct and admonish their children, not in a way that badgers or discourages them, but in a way that encourages them and builds them up.
  6. A family structure that helps children to advance in age, wisdom, and favor before God and man

This, then, is God’s basic teaching on family and marriage. This is the basic structure that God sets for the family: a man who loves his wife; a woman who loves her husband; and children conceived within their stable, lasting, and faithful union of mutual support and love, and raised in the holy fear of the Lord.

Add to this the principal description of the book of Genesis, which describes how God sets forth marriage: A man shall leave his father and mother, cling to his wife, and the two of them shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). And to this first couple God gives the mandate, Be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22).

And thus the Bible sets forth the basic structure for the family: a father, a mother, and children, all of whom are reverential and who support one another in their various roles and duties.

Note how the structure of the family take its basic form in terms of its essential fruit: the procreation and rearing of children. Why should marriage be a stable and lasting union? Why is Adam told to cling to his wife, to form a stable and lasting union with her?

Because this is what is best for children! Children both need and deserve the stable and lasting union of a father and a mother, as well as the complementary influence of the two different sexes. This is the best atmosphere in which to raise and form children. Hence, the family structure of a father and a mother, a male and a female parent, flows from what is best for children. The structure of the family, as set forth by God, is rooted in what is best for children. This is what is sensible. And it is what is best, both sociologically and psychologically, for the proper development of children.

Even without considering the Bible, it makes intuitive sense that a child should have both a father and a mother, a male and a female influence. There are things that a father, a male, can better teach and model for a child than can a mother, a female. And there are things that a mother, a female, can better teach and model for a child than can a father, a male.

This much is clear before we even open the Bible. Both male and female influences are essential for the proper psychological and sociological development of a child. Clearly, then, God’s biblical mandate, that marriage should include both a father and a mother, is not without basis in simple human reason and common sense.

To intentionally deprive a child of this context is both unjust to the child and unwise. Hence, we see that the basic structure for marriage takes its shape from what is best for children. Both God and nature provide for a father and a mother, a male and a female, to conceive and raise a child.

It also makes sense based on simple human reasoning that the relationship should be stable, something upon which children can depend from day to day, month to month, and year to year throughout their formative years.

This, then, is the proper structure for marriage. It is set forth both by God and human reason.

II. Struggles – And yet what should be obvious to us as a culture seems to be strangely absent in the minds of many. Let us be clear: sin clouds judgment, making many think that what is sinful and improper is in fact good and acceptable. It is not. In our current culture we gravely sin against God and against our children through consistent misconduct and by the refusal to accept what is obviously true. The words of St. Paul are fulfilled in our modern times: their senseless minds were darkened, and they became vain and foolish in their reasoning (Rom 1:21).

It is clear today that the family is in grave crisis. It is also clear that it is the children who suffer the most. Our modern age in the Western world displays a mentality that is both deeply flawed and gravely harmful to children.

Marriage and family are in great crisis due to the willful, sinful behavior of the vast majority of adults in our culture in the areas of sexuality, marriage, and family life. The rebellion of adults against God’s plan has caused endless grief and hardship, and has created a culture that is poisonous to the proper raising and blessing of children.

Children have much to suffer in this world of our collective making. And while not all of us are equally guilty of contributing to their suffering, none of us is entirely innocent either, if for no other reason than our silence.

Consider that most children today are not born into the stable and lasting family unit they justly deserve, with a father and mother committed to each other till death do them part.

The problems begin with fornication, which is rampant in our culture today. And while most do not think of this as a sin of injustice, it is. This is so primarily because of what it does to children.

The fact is that many children today are conceived out of fornication. Tragically, most children who are thus conceived are outright murdered by abortion. Approximately 85% of abortions are performed on unmarried women. Despite all the claims that contraception makes every baby a “wanted” baby, nothing could be further from the truth. With the increased availability of contraception, abortion has skyrocketed. This is because the problem is not fertility; it is lust, promiscuity, fornication, and adultery. Contraception fuels these problems by further enabling them. The promises associated with contraception are lies; contraception does the opposite of what it promises.

Thus fornication and the contraceptive mentality (founded on lies) cause grave harm to children, beginning with abortion in huge numbers. And the children conceived of fornication who do manage to survive until birth are often subjected to the injustice of being born into irregular situations (e.g., households headed by single parents).

Add to this dismal picture the large number of divorced families. Make no mistake, these shredded families cause great hardship and pain for children. Children are shuttled back and forth between different households each week; they have to meet Daddy’s new girlfriend or Mommy’s new boyfriend; they endure all sorts of other family chaos. Blended families also dramatically increase the likelihood of sexual and emotional abuse because purely legal relationships seldom have the built-in protections of natural relationships.

All of this misbehavior, individual and cultural, harms children. Not being raised by parents in a traditional marriage dramatically increases a child’s likelihood of suffering many other social ills, starting with poverty.

The chief cause of poverty in this country is single motherhood/absent fatherhood.
71% of poor families are not married.
Children of single parent homes are two times more likely to be arrested for juvenile crime,
two times more likely be treated for emotional and behavioral problems,
twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school,
33% more likely to drop out of school,
three times more likely to end up in jail by age 30,
50% more likely to live in poverty as adults,
and twice as likely to have a child outside of marriage themselves [Getting the Marriage Conversation Right, by William B. May].

Added to the burdens that children experience is the new trend of same-sex adoption. Never mind that it is best for the psychological development of a child to have both a father and a mother, a male and a female influence. No, what is best for children must be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. Same-sex couples seeking to adopt must now be given equal consideration under the law (in many states) to heterosexual couples. It is the adults and their rights that seem to matter most here; what is best for children is quite secondary.

These, then, are our struggles. Our families are in grave crisis; most children in our culture today are not raised in the stable and committed homes they deserve. And let us be even more clear: to intentionally deprive children of this sort of home by raising them outside of marriage or in same sex unions is sinful, wrong, and an injustice.

Let us also be clear that it is not possible to personally judge every case of a broken family. The modern world has experienced a cultural tsunami and many have been influenced by lies and false promises. If you are divorced, it may be the case that you tried to save your marriage but that your spouse was unwilling. Perhaps in a moment of weakness, or before your conversion to Christ, you fell and bore children outside of marriage but since then have done your best to raise them well.

In the end, though, children in our culture have had much to suffer on account of adult misbehavior. We need to repent and to beg God’s grace and mercy for our grave sins of commission, omission, and silence. We have set forth a bitter world for our children to inherit.

III. Strategy – So what are we to do? Preach the Word! Whatever the sins of those of us in this present generation (and there are many), we must be prepared to unambiguously re-propose the wisdom of God’s Word to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Even if we have fallen short, we cannot hesitate to announce God’s plan for sexuality, marriage, and family.

Our strategic proclamation must include these key elements:

  1. No sex before or outside of marriage, ever, or under any circumstances. Sexual intercourse is designed for procreation, the production of children, and there is no legitimate use of it except within marriage.
  2. Children deserve and have the right to expect two parents, a father and mother, committed to each other till death do them part. Anything short of this is a grave injustice to children and a mortal sin before God.
  3. Gay unions, or single mothers and fathers, are not acceptable alternatives to biblical marriage. To intentionally subject children to this for the sake of “political correctness” does them a grave injustice.
  4. Marriage is about what is best for children, not adults.
  5. Married couples must learn to work out their differences (as was done in the past) and not resort to divorce, which offends God (cf Malachi 2:16).
  6. The needs of children far outweigh the preferences and needs of adults.

Whatever the personal failings of any of us in this present evil age (cf Gal 1:4), our strategy must be to preach the undiluted plan of God for sexuality, marriage, and family to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Back to the Bible! Back to the plan of God! Away with modern experiments and unbiblical schemes! God has given us a plan. And we, thinking we had better ideas, have caused great sorrow and hardship for our descendants. We have acted unjustly. We have murdered or children through abortion. By sowing in the wind we have caused those who have survived our misbehavior to inherit the whirlwind. It is time to repent and to help our heirs to rejoice in chastity, marriage, and the biblical family. Otherwise we are doomed to perish.

God’s plan must be our strategy in escaping from our struggles. We must get back to God’s structure for our families.

This song says, “So, humbly I come to you and say. As I sound aloud the warfare of today. Hear me, I pray. What about the children?”

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No One Goes Away from Jesus Unchanged – As Seen in a Christmas Commercial

Пластиковые карточкиThe video below is a Coca-Cola commercial from several years ago that takes up the Christmas theme of the star of Christmas.

Let us review the impact that the star of Christmas had on the wise men, the Magi.

  1. The star moved them to seek meaning outside themselves; it made them look out and up.
  2. The star called them beyond what was familiar in their own country and world and expanded their horizons toward Christ and His kingdom.
  3. The star summoned them to seek Christ, and when they found Him, to worship Him.
  4. The star drew them to be generous to a poor family in Bethlehem; they made sacrifices as they lay costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh before the Lord.
  5. The star roused them to conversion; they “returned to their country by another route,” following the straight and narrow path rather than the wide and destructive one.

Yes, no one encounters Jesus Christ and goes away unchanged. A blind man went away able to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk. The hungry went away satisfied, the ignorant instructed, the guilty forgiven, sinners converted.

The call of the nations to change and to new life began with a star. The light of the star opens the way to the Light of World, Jesus. The star of my life is Jesus.

In the commercial below we see Santa (a name that means “Holy One”) sending forth a star, one that touches them and radiates a light that transforms them.

  1. A woman sees the light of that star and is able to forgive her husband and be reconciled with him.
  2. A young soccer player sees the light of that star, surrenders his pride, and steps aside to let another share in and get a shot at glory.
  3. A young girl sees the light of that star and, forsaking some of her own beauty, seeks to beautify a public park for others.
  4. A museum guard sees the light of that star and shows mercy to the guard dog with him (this was a silly one).
  5. A father sees the light of that star and permits his son a moment of growth.

Yes, there is something about that star that changes everyone who looks at it. They become more forgiving, more gracious, more aware of others, more connected to others, more loving. The light of the star, and the light of the world, is Jesus. His light is meant to have that same effect and more besides.

In the background of the commercial an old Elvis song plays: “Wise men say only fools rush in. But I can’t help falling in love with you. Shall I stay, would it be a sin? If I can’t help falling in love with you.”

Of course the love that is symbolized by the star is not the romantic love of the song but the brotherly and agape love that Christ gives. Like the Magi who found Christ by the star, no one sees the star of Jesus and encounters Him and then goes away unchanged. Indeed, if we authentically encounter Christ, we are equipped to love, just as the people in this commercial are. We are equipped to forgive, to bring healing, to help others find strength and glory in the truth, and to come to full maturity in Christ. A person who knows Jesus and has encountered Him cannot help loving others, not in some merely sentimental way, but with a strong and vigorous love rooted in the truth. This is the same love that Jesus has for us all.

At the end of the commercial there is an admonition in Spanish that translates as follows: “Give the world the best of you.” The best of me is Jesus.

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A Knock at Midnight – Christmas, Midnight Homily

blog.12.24In this reflection, perhaps we can consider but one line in the Gospel which both challenges our love, and is a sign of God’s humble and abiding love for us: For there was no room for them in the Inn.

I. The Cold – There is a knock at midnight. Joseph, speaking on behalf of both Mary and Jesus (who is in her womb still), seeks entrance to the homes and lodgings of those in Bethlehem. And even though the Jewish people placed a great deal of emphasis on the duty of hospitality to strangers, the answer repeatedly given is that there is “No room here.” Mary’s obviously advanced pregnancy seems to make little difference.

This was indeed a cold night, not so much in terms of the air temperature, but in terms of the hearts of the people. Even at the local inn (and surely someone could make room for a pregnant woman!), there was “No room.”

Yes, it was a cold night! The only warmth would be found among the animals of that town. An old Latin antiphon for Christmas says, O magnum mysterium et admirabile sacramentum, un animalia viderent Dominum natum iacentem in praesepio. (O great mystery and stunning sacrament, that animals would see the newborn Lord lying in a feedbox. Here, warmth will be found: among the animals. It is sometimes said that man can be brutish. But the reality is that we can sink even lower than the beasts, doing things to ourselves and one other that even animals do not.

Scripture says,

The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know me, my people do not understand….They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him (Isaiah 1:3-4).

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him (John 1:10-11).

There was a knock at midnight; the animals received Him and gave warmth. His own people, knowing Him not, received Him not. And into this midnight darkness and cold, the light and warmth of God’s love will shine forth. The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone (Is 9:1).

II. The Condescension – Surely God must stoop low to come down from lightsome Heaven to our war-torn, dark, cold world. And He stoops to the lowest place, to be born not in a palace or even a comfortable home, but a manger. For God will defeat Satan’s pride with humility. And all who will find Him this fateful night must also stoop.

This stooping by God is illustrated even in the very topography of this night. The towns of the Holy Land were built on the tops of the tall hills (something almost never done here in America). This was done so as to leave the fertile valleys open for agriculture. Bethlehem was perched on the higher land and the shepherd’s fields lay below. The streets of Bethlehem were steep and built on tiers or levels. Thus, the back lot of many homes and buildings dropped steeply down and beneath the buildings. And then beneath the buildings they hollowed out caves where animals and tools were kept.

It was there, down underneath, where Joseph and Mary sought hasty shelter. For it was a cold and dark midnight and Mary’s time had come. God stooped with them to be born, among the animals and agricultural implements, in the damp cave underneath some house or inn.

Those who will find our God, they too must stoop low. Even to this day, when one visits Bethlehem to see the place of Jesus’ birth, one must first enter the Church through what is called the “Door of Humility.” For security reasons, this door was built to be only about four feet high. So one must stoop greatly to enter the church. Yes, we must stoop to find our God. The actual site of the birth is at the other end of the basilica, under the altar area. Here again, more stooping is required. One must descend a steep staircase and go through another low, narrow door and into the cave. To touch the very spot, one must kneel and reach forward, into a yet-narrower part of the cave. Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, says the inscription. And the only way to get there is to stoop.

Yes, our God stoops. He stoops to the lowest place. And to find Him and be with Him we, too, must be willing to stoop. God hates pride; He just can’t stand it. He sees what it does to us. He comes to break its back, not by overpowering it, or with clubs and swords, but with humility. Darkness does not defeat darkness; only light can do that. Hate does not defeat hate; only love can do that. Pride does not defeat pride; only humility can do that. And so God stoops.

Tonight God calls us with this same humility. He could have ridden down from Heaven on a lightning bolt and stunned us into fearful submission. Instead, He goes to the lowest place. He comes quietly, peacefully, without threat—as an infant. But even in this lowly way, He is still calling.

And so there is a knock at midnight. Scripture says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20). There is an old song with the following lyrics: “Somebody’s knocking at your door! Oh, Sinner, why don’t you answer?”

And this leads us to the final point.

III. The Crucial thing – When human history is complete and the last books are written, one of the saddest lines in all of that history will be simply the line, For there was no room for them in the Inn. No room … no room. How strange and sad for this world that God simply doesn’t fit! He doesn’t fit with our agendas, into our schedules, or among our priorities. There’s no room. He just doesn’t fit.

Scripture says,

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him (Jn 1:11).

But that same passage goes on to add,

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the power to become children of God (John 1:12).

The most crucial decision in and factor of your life is whether or not there is room in your heart. Will you answer the knock at midnight? Some of you who are in this church tonight come only at Christmas. But throughout the rest of the year there is just no room for Jesus. There’s no time for Mass. There’s no time to fulfill the last thing He asked: Do this in memory of me. I beg you to reconsider and make room in your heart for Christ on His terms: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you have no life in you (Jn 6:53).

Yes, what about us? Is there room for Jesus in the “inn” of our hearts? If there is, then Jesus comes bearing many gifts. Tonight is a night of gifts. There is a knock at this very midnight. It sounds like Jesus! Oh, Sinner, why don’t you answer? Somebody’s knocking at your door.

Make room for Jesus. Every year He comes knocking. He stoops low and invites us to find Him in the lowly places of this world, in the lowly places of our own lives. What are the things in your life that may be crowding Him out? What obstacles and preoccupations leave little or no room for Jesus? What keeps you from recognizing Him and opening the door wide when He comes?

If you’ve already opened the door to Him for many years now, praise God! Then ask the Lord to help you open it wider. For it remains true for many of us that even though we’ve invited Jesus in, His accommodations are poor: perhaps the couch or floor of our life.

Make room for Jesus. Make more and more room for Him, in the “inn” of your soul. I promise you that what Scripture says is true: Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the power to become children of God (John 1:12).

If you will receive the gift of Him tonight and make greater room for Him in your heart, I promise you total victory and transformation in Christ Jesus. There will come to you the increasing gift of transformation into the very likeness of God. For tonight is a night of gifts and Jesus stoops low to give us a priceless gift: the power to become children of God.

It’s midnight. There’s a knock at the door. Oh, sinner, why don’t you answer?

Regarding this video … I know, I know. Yet still there is much to ponder.

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Who Will Endure the Day of His Coming? A Meditation on the Closing Words of Advent

How does the Old Testament close in your bible? Some older Catholic bibles placed 1 and 2 Maccabees as the last two books of the Old Testament. But in many bibles today, the two books of Maccabees are among the historical books rather than appended to the section of the prophets.

If Malachi is the final book listed in your Catholic bible, then it provides a kind of dramatic close to the Old Testament prophets. The curtain closes on the message of the prophets with a solemn warning to be prepared for the coming of the Lord and a promise by God to send us “Elijah” in order to prepare us. And, as the curtain reopens in the New Testament, St. John the Baptist is hard at work in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Let’s take a look at the dramatic words from Malachi. While they ring with promise, they also warn of great peril to those who do not lay hold of the promise. The words come forth almost like iron pellets. They describe the way through, but that way is only by being refined as by fire and by becoming fire.

Consider the words:

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction (Mal 4:1-6).

With these words, the Old Testament Book of the Prophets ends; the curtain closes. Remarkably, as the curtain reopens on the New Testament, we see the Elijah figure, John the Baptist, fulfilling exactly what is said here. I will have more to say on this later on in this post.

Here on the eve of the opening of the New Testament, with the conception and then birth of Christ, it is worth looking at the final words of the “old dispensation” in order to understand why we need the new, why we need a savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Let’s look at this text from Malachi in four stages.

I. Day of Destruction – Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

The concept of the Day of judgment as a day of fire and wrath must be carefully understood. It does not mean that God is angry in some human sense. God is not moody; He is not subject to having a “bad day.” God is love and is unchanging.

The images of wrath and fire describe our human experience of God if we are not prepared to experience His full presence. God is a burning furnace of charity; He is the fire of love and holiness. Some things, such as fine gold and silver, are able to be purified by fire. But many others cannot endure fire (e.g., wood, hay, and straw). God warns in this text that He is a Holy Fire and that we must be made ready to endure His glory. “Wrath” is the human experience of being unprepared to encounter the holy fire of God’s presence.

Consider that fire and water do not mix. One can hear the conflict between the two when water is spilled on a hot stove. Similarly, sin and injustice cannot endure the holiness of God. The unrighteous experience God’s presence as wrath.

Consider, too, the image of light. In the evening hours we delight in having the bright lights of our rooms by which to see. When we turn off the lights to prepare for bed, we grow accustomed to the darkness. Then at six in the morning when we turn the lights back on we complain that the light is harsh. But the light has not changed; it is not any brighter than it was the night before. Rather it is we who have changed; it is we who now prefer the dark.

And thus when we speak of the wrath of God, we ought to remember this and realize that the wrath of God says more about us than about God. God has not changed; we have. He is the same God who walked with us in the Garden of Eden. But we, departing to our sins and preferring the darkness, now too easily experience him as angry or harsh. He is not. The problem is in us.

As for fire, there is no reason to fear the fire of God’s love—provided that fire of love is already at work in us bringing us up to the temperature of glory.

What this text warns about is not so much God’s stance but our stance: our preference for the darkness, and the coldness of our heart, which prefers selfishness and sin to love and holiness. When “the Day” comes, those who prefer darkness and cold will experience the warmth of God’s love as wrathful, as a destructive, burning fire.

Now when shall that “Day” come? It may come in one of two ways: either Christ will come to us in glory to judge the living and the dead, or we shall go to Him. Either way, the “Day” will come. And for the wicked, the Day will be one of wrath, of a burning, oven-like heat.

Historically, the “Day” referred to in this text is the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. One may wonder, since Jesus has come, where is the oven that burns up the wicked? Clearly, that aspect of this prophecy has been delayed to our judgment day.

But make no mistake, Jesus has already called the question. Either we will believe in Him and be saved or refuse to believe and be lost, subject to the wrath that is to come (cf  Mk 16:16; John 8:24; 1 Thess 1:10).

Jesus says, I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! (Lk 12:49). So there is a fire that is coming on this world and all who dwell on it. God will judge the world by fire (cf 2 Peter 3:7). It is a fire that we must be prepared for or we will experience its wrath.

II. Distinction that Delivers – But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty.

For those who have been rendered ready, and have, by God’s grace, come to love the light and heat of God’s love, the “Day” will not seem to be a blazing oven at all! Rather, it will a beautiful, sunlit day; the fire of God’s love will be like rays of sunshine that bring healing and warmth.

This is what God wants to accomplish for us: that we be ready to come into His presence. He will not and cannot change. Thus He must change us into His glory. He must set us on fire. It is no surprise, then, that the Pentecost event featured tongues of fire that came to rest on the faithful. It set them on fire and began a process to bring them up to the temperature of glory!

So again, note that the problem is not in God; it is in us. So also the solution is in us, being changed into glory. God will do this for His faithful and for those who fear His name. That is, he will do this for those who hold Him in awe and who respect that He is God, ever to be adored and obeyed.

Paradoxically, the way to avoid the fire of wrath is to accept the need in our life for a purifying fire. To avoid getting burned in the fire of wrath, we must pass through a fire that purifies rather than burns. Scripture says,

1. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will …purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, (Mal 3:2-3).

2. Our work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Cor 3:13-15).

And thus prior to meeting God, we must all be purified as by fire so as to be able to endure the pure fire of God’s love.

To avoid the fire of wrath, let the Lord set you on fire and purify you by it!

III. Directives to avoid Doom – Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

At the end of the day, our love for God and our faith in Him must be made manifest in an obedience to His law. The law of God is not some arbitrary set of rules. It is an expression of the love and will of God to save us. God instructs us for our own salvation.

If you give me directions on how to get to your home, you are not just setting up arbitrary rules for me. You are giving me sound information for my own good and for the ultimate “salvation” of finding my way to your home. It is even more so with God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. If we will follow Him and the path He sets out, then by His grace we will be saved from the coming wrath and from eternal loss. Follow the directions to avoid getting burned. Trust that His grace will equip, empower, and enable you to do so and thus find the way home to the Kingdom.

IV. Deliverer from total Destruction – See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.

And so we come to the closing verses of the Old Testament. Having warned us of a coming fiery judgment, the Lord also promises us help. For it is not His will that any of us should be lost. Though He knows of our stubbornness and knows that many will prefer the darkness to the light, He nevertheless promises the help of His grace and the presence of Elijah.

Who is this Elijah? Does the Lord mean that Elijah will return from heaven in the fiery chariot? Probably not, but rather, that the office of Elijah will revive and be continued.

Historically, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the Elijah figure who was prophesied here.

To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands. Then the disciples understood that Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist (Matt 17:11-13).

Thus the Old Testament ended with the promise of Elijah’s return. As the curtains close on the Old Testament and reopen again in the New Testament, we are brought almost immediately to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist is preparing the people; “Elijah” has returned. And thanks be to God for this, since many of Jesus’ earliest disciples and many of His apostles were first disciples of John the Baptist. John did his work well!

To some degree, the office of Elijah must continue on. In a certain sense, the Church is Elijah and is John the Baptist. And so are particular members of the Church such as our pastors, parents, religious, catechists, and teachers. All of them point to Christ and help lead us to Christ by saying, “There He is! Follow Him!”

In this last line of the Old Testament there is also a beautiful and poignant description of the work of Elijah: that he would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. For indeed, to be reconciled to one another is a beautiful and an essential way to be prepared one day to meet God.

Scripture asks, How we can say we love God whom we do not see, when we do not love our neighbor whom we do see? (cf 1 Jn 4:20) Jesus, in the great judgment scene of Matthew 25:31, also links our love for the needy and the poor to our love for Him.

It is so easy for us to turn holiness and love into an abstraction. And yet, at the end of the day, a huge part of holiness is simply being reconciled to one another and having a vigorous love for one another rooted in the truth of the Gospel. An essential way to get ready for the day of fiery judgement is to be reconciled to God and one another.

Yes, it is fitting that on the last full day of Advent we read the final lines of the Old Testament. As the curtains of the old dispensation close, a promise of grace and mercy is extended. The Messiah will come. But before the day of fiery judgment, He will extend grace and mercy through Elijah.

Thursday evening we will see the Christ child lying in a manger. God makes himself small for us; He comes to us meek and lowly, extending His grace and mercy. One day He will come in fiery judgment on this world, but until that time he brings grace and mercy.

Yes, tomorrow evening, the cry of an infant will sound saying, come unto me; accept me now before it is time to finally close the curtains on this, the final age.

Before He comes again in glory to judge living and the dead, He comes to us once again humility, meekness, and lowliness. He calls to you now, this Christmas feast, in the tender voice of an infant. Yes, He is calling.