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Finding God in A Strange Place: Soteriology in a KIA Soul Commercial? Why not?!

Permit me to go in this post from serious sublimity, to silly stretching. But I saw a car ad the other day and recalled an insight of how God saves us. “How one earth?” you may say. Well, on the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross lets look….

Let me begin with the sublime. And for that I turn to Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. Many years ago (more than 25) I got a series of 24 cassette tapes. They were wonderful recordings of a set of instructions he prepared for converts to the Catholic Faith. If you have never heard of that series you can find it here: A Sheen Catechism.

In this series, Archbishop Sheen made an insightful point that I am relating to you from memory. I beg mercy if I do not quote him exactly, but his point related to soteriology, the theology of how we are saved. Now to be clear, we are saved by the obedience of Christ. But not all the consequences of our sinful choice were eliminated. Some of these consequences the Lord takes up as a means to save us. It is of these consequences that Archbishop Sheen sepaks. Again, what I relate is not verbatim but is as close as I can remember:

Consider that God were conducting a great symphony, a symphony that He Himself composed, of sublime beauty. Now suppose he wrote that symphony in the Key of A. Having assembled His orchestra God brings them to attention and begins the symphony. But suppose in the front row, the first and second violinists, filled with a sense of rebellion and boredom by the third measure, insisted on playing the note A-Flat, rather than the A-natural called for by the score. This of course created a terrible dissonance. And so God,  the great conductor and composer brought the orchestra to a halt by tapping his baton. Looking to the first and second violinists, he said, “My symphony has been ruined. I will forgive but the note has sounded and gone forth. It will not be recalled. So, what was that note you played?” The first and second violinists said “A-Flat!” “Fine then,” said God, “Let us begin our new Symphony in the key of A-Flat.” And raising his baton, he began.…

What is Archbishop Sheen saying here? He is saying that in saving us, God does not merely undo or cancel every effect of our choice. Jesus does obey, saying yes to the Father, whereas we had said no and hence we are saved by his obedience. But God does not merely come in and say, well, you got that wrong so I am just going to reverse everything you did and put it back to the way I want it. There is a very deep reverence that our all-powerful God has for our freedom we had to chose in this sense. And so he chooses to write straight with the crooked lines, the consequences of our sinful choice.

What then does God do? Using Sheen’s analogy he takes our “A-Flat,” the consequences of our choice  and uses it as the key note in a new symphony. In other words, though God had given life, and paradise (A Natural), Adam and Eve chose the way of suffering and death (A-Flat). Hence, rather than merely erase what they had done, God said, “I will come and, through suffering and death, (A-Flat), compose a new symphony with an even greater ending. Through the suffering and death of my own Son, and by his obedience,  I will compose a new symphony, one that ends with humanity not in some mere earthly paradise, but a heavenly one. One that ends with humanity not as just humanly perfect, but as sharers in Divine nature. Yes, my Son will take A-Flat and make of it a new song, an even greater song.” O felix culpa, O admirabile commercium (O happy fault, O wondrous exchange)!

Where our demise came through a man (Adam), a woman (Eve), and a tree, now too our redemption would would come from a new Adam (Christ) and include a new woman (Mary) and the tree of the cross. Suffering death, the chosen note of Adam and Eve (A-Flat) would now be the first note in a new symphony, bringing life and glory, all by God’s grace.

And our suffering and crosses too would do the same in this new symphony, this new song. As scripture says, This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting, weight of glory, far beyond any comparison (2 Cor 4:17). Yes, God took our sour note and and composed a new song, with a greater ending.

And that brings us the  video below. I have to say, maybe I am just zany-brainy, but I saw Archbishop Sheen’s soteriological point in, of all places, a car ad for the “KIA Soul” (yes, aptly named). And I realize that what I am doing is pure eisegesis, that is, reading a meaning into the video that the originator likely never intended. But go with me on this little journey.

  1. As the video opens a terrible war is raging between two unknown parties. A-Flat is in loud evidence. In fact, if you have a good Bose woofer, the pounding A-Flat explosions shake the floor. The whole landscape and almost everything is in shades of gray, and everything is in ruins. Yes, this is the sour note of A-flat alright: death, violence, barrenness, not a living thing in sight, even the warring parties are robots.
  2. Suddenly into this scene drives a bright green “KIA Soul” with three occupants. Let the green represent life, and the three occupants, represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (I know they’re hamsters, but stay with me).
  3. The warring parties stop, stunned by this bright green car, and aim their weapons at it. Out emerge the three living creatures, the Trinity, far more alive than any of the fighting robots. A tense moment ensues.
  4. The middle figure is a Christ figure, for he wears purple, a sign of his royalty and his passion.
  5. Suddenly the Christ figure cries out and all three in the Trinity begin to stop their feet. It is the same pounding A-Flat beat that the robots have been creating by their killing, it is a kind of a sound of death.
  6. But now the Trinity is using the A-Flat beat to dance!
  7. Suddenly, one of the robots starts to tap his foot, other robots quickly join in and before long, all are dancing. Same A-flat beat, but the Trinity has composed a new symphony around it.
  8. Weapons drop and the dancing ensues. Some of the dead even come back to life. The former flying war machines emanate rainbow patterns in the background.
  9. In a very symbolic moment the Christ figure in purple stands atop a concrete circle in the shape of a tree stump, as if Christ on his Cross in triumph dancing to A-Flat. The A-Flat of suffering that leads only to death is becoming life. A-flat doesn’t need to lead to war, if accepted it can lead to glory. The Lord teaches them a new song to the same note.
  10. In the final scene the “Trinity” drive down a road flanked by enthusiastic praises as the A-Flat dance continues.In the distance is the mountain where God dwells on high.

OK, too weird? Call me a dreamer but this is what I see. If all you choose to see is a car commercial, fine. But it never hurts to see Christ where ever we can. Man had disobeyed and ushered in an A-Flat world of suffering and death. God forgave us and Jesus undid our disobedience. But God, showing a reverence for us even in our struggle, takes our A-Flat of suffering and death and makes it a road to glory, the way to heaven.

Enjoy this video.

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If You’re Reading this Blog, You’re Way Above Average. A Recent Study Shows Some Startling Data Regarding Catholic Internet Sites

Some rather sobering, even shocking data is available over at the CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) blog. The data stunningly refutes the claim that the way to reach young Catholics is via the Internet.  I must say I was more and more startled as I read the data, thinking, “This can’t be so.” But the bottom line seems that if you are a Catholic, reading this or other Catholic blogs for information or encouragement about your faith, you are a very rare bird. If you are under 30, and reading Catholic blogs and news sites, you are the rarest of birds.

Let’s look at the data. The text from the CARA report is in bold black italics, my comments are plain text red. The full CARA post is here: CARA on New Media

Millennial Catholics (born after 1981) represent about one in five adult Catholics (19%) and….are sometimes described as the digital or new media generation. Many in the Church assume that the way to connect with this emergent generation of Catholics is not through traditional print media, television, or radio, but online—through blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter accessed on smart phones, tablets, and e-readers. The hope is often stated that we may be able to use new media to get this generation “back into the real world pews” that are more often populated by their parents and grandparents.

Yes, this is surely the premise in every discussion I have had, with anyone who has an opinion, and it is surely my own. It is widely assumed that within ten years paper books as we know them are going away, Catholic newspapers will all but disappear, and all Catholics will contribute their money to the parish electronically. The basic premise is that we are at the end of an era, and that many such things are simply going to disappear as younger people take their place. But not so fast, says the data. The landscape is a bit more complicated and pace of change less like lightening and more like a slow walk.

The Catholic Press Association (CPA) of the United States and Canada recently commissioned CARA to conduct a national poll of adult Catholics to measure their media use. CARA partnered with Knowledge Networks to conduct the survey in May and June 2011. The survey was completed by 1,239 self-identified Catholics who were 18 years of age or older (resulting in a sampling margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points)….. 1200 is a pretty normal sample size.

The findings from these studies suggest that the emerging picture for new media use by Catholic adults overall—and especially among the Millennials is not as promising as many hope or assume. The problem is…the Internet is a much more vast space and is navigated by search and social network….You likely won’t even get it on their computer screen or iPhone unless they are interested in it and looking for it.

It’s the same lesson we have to learn in evangelization. The “build it and they will come” days are over. We have to open our Church doors and go out and meet and engage people, not just hope they will come. We have to be in this work for the long haul, and realize that relationships, and connections are just as important, as spiffy content. Developing interest is more the key than simply being “out there” with jazzy stuff.

First, the study shows that only a slight majority of Catholics (52%) pay “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of attention to national news….In the new media age, they don’t have to. Thirty years ago many had only over-air television reception with three networks, and local radio and newspapers to choose from. The news was an inescapable part of the broadcast. With the development of cable television, satellite radio, the Internet, e-readers, etc. the content available to most has now expanded exponentially. In this new media environment, many have “narrowcasted” themselves into their interests—whatever these may be—and have largely tuned out the world that is not of their immediate interest. Entertainment has often trumped news, information, or other content when making these choices. Attention to news is lowest among young Catholics.

I wrote an article here at this blog on this very topic almost two years ago: Living in a Self Selected Universe. A paradoxical effect of the “global communication age” is that many people increasing set up their own world to live in. Shared experience is becoming more and more rare. Most people I know NEVER watch the news anymore, unless something shocking has happened. Otherwise they listen to music, have a steady diet of sports, or watch their favorite shows, and check in on only a very highly selective set of Internet sites that suit their pre-programmed interests. So, while more of everything is available, less is actually consumed or experienced, that’s the paradox.

What about use of religious and spiritual content?….When it comes to Catholicism, more often than not, traditional media still have a much broader reach in a “new media” age. Despite what conventional wisdom or anecdote may suggest, Millennials do not overwhelmingly prefer reading content online compared to print. A third of these respondents indicate a preference for online content (32%), while another third prefers reading print (33%). Thirty-five percent do not have a preference either way.

And here is a really big surprise. I am not surprised that younger Catholics do not read or view, a lot of Catholic content. We have to work on that. But I AM surprised that those who do, show no substantially higher preference for “new media.” In fact it would seem that more are content to make use of traditional printed media. I am still convinced that the number preferring new media will continue to grow, but am most surprised it is not far higher.

While 22% of adult Millennial Catholics have read a print copy of their diocesan newspaper in the last three months (compared to 26% of all adult Catholics) only 4% of those in this generation have sought this out and read it online. Seventy percent of Millennials have no awareness of any of the major national print Catholic magazines and newspapers. Only one title, Catholic Digest, garners more than 7 percent awareness among Catholics under 30 and this publication has among the lowest web traffic of any title listed, 423 visitors per day at the time of this post.

And here is double bad news. Not only do most Catholics not read or view Catholic materials, but having them in the “new” format has not helped. The bottom line remains that most Catholics are simply not that interested in what their Church or the faith teaches or offers. Secularism is very deep among even “pew sitters” it would seem, many of whom check off the “God-box” on Sunday and have little recourse or interest in their faith otherwise. Rare indeed, are those who go to Mass these days (27%) and rarer still are those who invest time in the faith and what the Church offers later in the week.

This disinterest in Catholic media also means that most Catholics who do hear about the Church, hear it through a secular and usually hostile media or format. That breads another whole set of problems.

Of those Catholics who do read religious or spiritual content, most are doing so in print, not online. Catholics are also more likely to watch religious or spiritual video content on television than online and to listen to religious or spiritual audio over the radio or on a CD than in online podcasts. Fascinating. I am feeling very odd and “different” right now.

Of the new media offerings, Millennials are generally no more likely (accounting for margin of error) than older Catholics to say they have done anything online or through the use of e-readers related to religion or spiritually.

I have sensed this for a while now too, that the so-called age gap is mistaken, and that most of my readers, and those who listen to my Podcasts, are closer to me in age (I am 50) and that those who are much younger, may be out on the Internet, but not at Catholic sites, or sites like mine. Frankly the same is true of my more than 4,000 Facebook friends. The majority are closer to me in age.

The news on YouTube is not much better….the Vatican’s channel ranks #3,562 on YouTube in video’s viewed globally…..Search for any video including a “Catholic” reference and sort by “most views.” But be very cautious as there is a vast amount of offensive content (with many, many views) and you’ll find much of it to be designed for entertainment rather than anything informational, educational, or devotional.

Yes, it really is a terrible experience to search on YouTube for anything Catholic. Some of the most hateful, anti-Catholic stuff is out there. Some of it is semi-pornographic or just plain lewd. It seems there are a lot of people on YouTube who really, I mean really, hate the Catholic Church. I also have a YouTube page and I get some of the most hateful comments on very innocent videos I post. YouTube is a real “wild west” kind of environment and it is very clear that anti-Catholic videos are far more popular than videos which celebrate or promote the Faith. Sad, really.

The current discourse surrounding Catholic new media is often very rosy and optimistic. The data just do not match this conversation—yet. There certainly is no shortage of very successful Catholic blogs with significant followings…But these typically do not reach audiences to where they would be considered mass media. The survey results indicate that only 6% of Catholic adults (and 8% of Millennials) read a religious or spiritual blog in the three months prior to being surveyed. But what can be concluded is that creating content for new media does not mean people will use it. The era of broadcasting is over. In a narrowcasted world, people have to be aware of and want to visit and use your content. Right now not enough Catholics seem interested or aware. Pretty straight-forward and cogent conclusion!

Although Millennial Catholics are using new media frequently, they have yet to use it for religion and spirituality in any great number. Will they ever? How can this be achieved? Those are unanswered and difficult questions for now. Is it the content? Is it the crowded media environment? Is it a culture consumed by pop media and entertainment? Is it secularization? This study generated just as many questions as it did answers. New media will require new research and a new understanding.

I am interested in what you think, and especially your answer to some of the questions raised here at the end.

Yes, if you are reading this blog or other Catholic sites, you are WAY above average 🙂  Yes, you are a rare bird. Please keep reading and encourage others to read Catholic sites. Otherwise, most of what they get is through hostile and secular sources. Many of the bigoted, and hateful anti-Catholic YouTube videos have millions of views. Many pro-Catholic videos are luck to break 5000 views. Do the math, and once again we realize, it’s not a new medium that’s going to spread the faith alone. It’s evangelization, pure and simple. Tell someone about the Lord and the faith, and draw them to the sites that will nourish their faith. It’s old fashioned, one to one, person to person, word of mouth Evangelization that wins the day in the end.

Photo Credit above: Wirral PC Repair

Here’s an example of old fashioned evangelization. It does not exclude the new media, just ensures its success.

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Amazing Faith

A woman attending a retreat for those struggling to heal after an abortion was asked: “What do you want from this retreat?” She responded, “I want- for just a moment- to believe that God loves me.” This hurting person was living proof of the philosopher Kierkegaard’s claim that life is not a question of belief versus unbelief; it’s a question of belief versus despair.

Today’s gospel spoke of a Roman centurion who did indeed believe. We heard that he was generous, concerned for others, respected by his community, and an accomplished professional. Jesus knew all these things about him. But when Jesus publicly praised him, what did he single out? Only his faith which, we’re told, left Jesus “amazed.” We might say, then, that the centurion had “amazing faith.”

I imagine that everyone reading this blog has faith! Nevertheless, Jesus calls each one of us to have “amazing” faith. He wants us to have a deep and unshakable belief in him. Jesus wants us to believe that he answers prayer; to believe in his power to heal; to believe in his forgiveness; to believe that he keeps his promises; to believe that he has a purpose for our life; and most of all, to believe in his love for us.

Faith, of course, is a gift of God’s grace, which means that we can ask God to give it to us. So maybe our prayer this and every day should be for “amazing grace” that we might have “amazing faith.”

Readings for today’s Mass: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091211.cfm

Photo Credit: Hamner_Fotos via Creative Commons

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Life after Sunday

Did you hear a good homily on forgiveness yesterday? Not only were the readings a great starting point for reflecting on the tenth anniversary of 9-11, the Gospel story is one of those that just hits home every time.  It was one of those Gospels where we leave church thinking,  I know I need to grapple with the fact I don’t want to forgive THAT person.” Or I want to believe that even though I may never see justice, I can do something so that the situation will stop eating at me. You may find yourself thinking I want to hear another homily on how I can forgive.

BUT HOW

As perfectly timed, as yesterday’s Gospel, is the publication of my fellow blogger and colleague, Fr. R. Scott Hurd’s book, Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach. In the spirit of full disclosure, Fr. Scott is a colleague and we have admired each other’s work for a number of years and I have written an endorsement for the book which all adds up to having lots of evidence that Fr. Hurd knows what he is talking about.  The book is worth purchasing for yourself and for a friend who may be stuck in the awful cycle of anger and hurt.  What makes Forgiveness such a good read is that it is also a manual.  It answers the HOW question in a step-by step look at sin, forgiveness and reconciliation and how we can make it happen.  If you are a regular reader of this blog or have had the good fortune to hear Fr. Hurd preach,  you will recognize his gift for storytelling and you will appreciate that his example of people grappling with forgiveness and finding their way toward reconciliation come from his own experience in ministry, from the lives of the saints and ripped from the headlines of the news. They offer such a breadth of experiences that I can’t image you won’t see yourself in one of them.

Be An Instrument

Forgiveness is more than just stories; Fr. Hurd tackles the big questions as well.  He writes of having to face the fact we may need to express anger with God, and he tackles how tough forgiving in a Christian way can be.  He reminds us that prayer and participation in the other sacraments not only can help but are essential to the process.  He helps us to honestly ask ourselves if the place to start is realizing we just may need to “lower the bar!”  Fr. Hurd’s book is the kind of book that you could read together with a spouse or family member or friend with whom you are trying to find the way toward reconciliation but just can’t seem to get past an obstacle.  Cardinal Wuerl, in his forward to the book, writes “…We are all called to even more than the passive reception of God’s mercy. Jesus asks us to be instruments of forgiveness.”  In Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach we are given the tools to be instruments of forgiveness.

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When God Seems Distant: A Meditation on the Omnipresence of God

We have all experienced times in our life when God seems distant, quite far from our heart and mind. Perhaps we been influenced in this experience by disappointment, loss, grief, depression or boredom. Praying seems hard, and God seems to hide his face.

Some years ago, I was given a prayer card of sorts; really more of a spiritual “bookmark” that said the following

How can I find God when he seems so far?

 

 

 

Ah, careful, the harder you look, the more distance you create between Him and you.”

 

 

 

So what can I do about the distance?”

 

 

Understand that it isn’t there.”

 

 

Does that mean that God and I are one?”

 

 

No, not one. Yet, not two.

 

 

How is that possible?

 

 

 

The sun and its light,
the ocean and the wave,
the singer and his song
–not one….not two.

One of the great mysteries and balances of theology is to grasp that God is transcendent and “other,” not to be equated with the sum total of his creation (pantheism). For he transcends, is above, beyond and greater than all he has made. And yet, he is also present to everything he has made and sustains every fiber of being in this universe, and every atom, molecule and cell of my being. He is closer to me than I am to myself.

Colossians 1:17 says of Jesus: All things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Yes, this world is created by the will and love of God and held together by him and in him.

A letter was addressed to one Jane Crofut by her minister in the Thornton Wilder play “Our Town” and the address went like this

Jane Crofut
The Crofut Farm
Grover’s Corners
Sutton County
New Hampshire
United States of America
Continent of North America
Western Hemisphere
The Earth
The Solar System
The Universe
The mind of God
 

Yes, we caught up in the heart and mind of God, and Christ holds all creation together in himself. We are the result of his love, and not just at our conception, at every moment, every beat of our heart, every thought of our mind, every movement of our body, every stirring of our soul, all sustained by him, and rooted in him as first cause.

He is not far, just feel the beating of your heart, the breeze on your cheek, the warmth of the sun, and behold the color purple behold those you love, even those you struggle to love. Even the thoughts we sometimes have that God seems distant would not be possible unless he were close, very close and sustaining every fiber of our being. He is closer to me than the sun is to its light, the ocean is to its wave, the singer is to his song. He is closer to me than I am to myself.

Where is God, when he seems so distant? Not far. Not far at all.

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Forgiveness and 9/11

As we’re all very aware, we’re observing a significant anniversary this Sunday: the 10th anniversary of 9/11. There’s understandably been a huge media focus on this event: in print, online, on the radio, and especially on TV. It’s very easy for us to get sucked in.

This happened to me after 9/11 itself. The media attention was 24/7, and like so many I was glued to the coverage for days on end. I spoke about this with a Catholic friend, when at one point in our conversation she asked: “When am I going to start praying?” She realized that she was so immersed in the news of that tragedy, that she’d neglected to lift it up to the Lord in prayer. Just like me.

Hopefully that won’t happen this year. Indeed, here we are in church, having come together to pray. And through our prayer, we can look back on those terrible events through the eyes of Christ. The media will look back on that day through all sorts of different eyes: survivors and soldiers; policemen and politicians; Manhattanites and Muslims. But in prayer, we can look upon it as a Christian.

When Jesus looks out upon our world, he loves what he sees. He can’t help but do that! Jesus is God, God is perfect love, and God can’t deny his own nature. Knowing this can help us to look out upon the world with love- for everything, and everyone. Including the events of 9/11- as hard as that may be.

Think of it this way: God the Father created the world through his Son, and when they were finished they looked upon it and exclaimed: “It is good.” Later, God the Son looked out upon that same world as he hung on a cross. And even in his pain, he looked out upon that world with love. He looked upon those who unjustly condemned him, and he loved them. He looked upon those who hurled scorn and contempt, and he loved them. He looked upon the empty ground where his friends should have been, and he still loved them. He looked upon those who had driven nails into his hands and feet, and not only did he love them, he forgave them for what they had done.

Can we look back upon 9/11 with love and forgive those responsible? Indeed, can we look back upon any painful event with forgiveness, especially toward those who have hurt us most deeply, and most personally? That is our Lord’s invitation to us; that is his challenge to us.

Our Lord spoke to us just moments ago through the gospel we heard. Peter asked: “How many times am I to forgive one who hurts me? Seven times?” “No,” Jesus will insist, “Seventy times seven times.” How are we to understand this? Are we to keep score for the times someone has hurt us? Is there to be a limit to our forgiveness, whether it be “three strikes and you’re out” or “seventy times seven strikes and you’re out?” Of course not. God doesn’t ration the forgiveness he showers upon us, and he doesn’t want us to ration the forgiveness we extend to others.

To grasp what Jesus meant, we need to appreciate that the number seven was associated with perfection, and therefore with God, because God is perfect. By teaching us to forgive seventy-seven times, Jesus is driving home the point that we’re to forgive like God forgives: without limit, without restriction, without compromise, without any strings attached. We can’t earn God’s forgiveness, and we shouldn’t expect others to have to earn it from us.

But how can we apply this to 9/11? How can Jesus’ words help us view that event through his eyes? To answer that, we should recall that forgiveness is a decision- it’s a choice to refrain from retaliation, revenge, or a desire to take an eye-for-an-eye. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had some wise words on this score. “An eye for an eye,” he promised, “leaves everyone blind.”

Yet so many wanted to take an eye for an eye after 9/11. Referring to the terrorists, one politician announced: “God may have mercy on you, but we won’t!” That was anger speaking. And it’s normal to feel angry when hurt or attacked. But we can’t that anger harden into bitterness, resentment, or a thirst for revenge. Adding evil to evil is the devil’s work. To bring good out of evil is God’s work, and that’s where we come in. When we forgive, we bring an end to the cycle of violence and hate.

If such forgiveness doesn’t seem fair to us, we’re absolutely right! Forgiveness isn’t fair. An eye-for-an-eye is fair. Strict justice is fair. Through forgiveness, we temper justice with mercy. As has often been said, “Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.” By God’s free gift of grace, we’re able to not give to others what they justly deserve, through the mercy of forgiveness.

But does being forgiving people turn us into doormats or punching bags? Does it invite someone to hurt us over and over again? Does it encourage terrorists to strike again? Not at all. Forgiveness doesn’t preclude justice. Blessed Pope John Paul II forgave the gunman who tried to assassinate him. But that gunman remained in prison. Dangerous criminals can be forgiven, and kept off the street at the same time. Terrorists can be forgiven, while we still act to protect our nation, and defend the common good.

By forgiving them, however, we let go of the desire for revenge; by forgiving, we can view them and what they did, not through eyes of hate, but through eyes of love. Just as Jesus sees them- he who begs us to love our enemies. Indeed, it is they who are the very measure of our love. Dorothy Day put it well: “I really only love God, as much as I love the person I love the least.”

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons, fradaveccs, LivingOS via CreativeCommons

Readings for today’s Mass: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/091111.cfm

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Finding Forgiveness Through The Magnificence of Mercy A Meditation on the Gospel for the 24th Sunday of the Year

Today’s Gospel draws us into a remarkably sensitive area of the faith, that of forgiving others who may have harmed us. There are many who been authentically hurt, and others who that offering forgiveness will make them vulnerable to further harm. Forgiveness is something we experience as a very personal call, and it may, in some cases, be the most challenging thing we have ever been asked to do.

I have titled this Homily carefully, for if we read the parable closely, we must come to understand that mercy and forgiveness are not something we do out of our own flesh. Rather, mercy and forgiveness are a capacities we must find within us as the result of a stunning realization of the mercy we ourselves have been shown. As the remarkable reality f God’s incredible mercy for us, dawns upon us, our hearts are moved and suddenly we don’t hate anyone, and forgiveness is something which flows from our broken, humbled hearts. This is a gift which the Lord offers us. Let’s look at this Gospel in four movements.

I. THE PRESENTATION OF THE PROBLEM – The text says, Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

In effect Peter’s question seems to presuppose that there needs to be a limit to forgiveness, that it is unrealistic to expect human beings to forgive without limit. And many would likely agree with Peter, and might not be even as generous in setting the number at seven times. But Jesus answers by speaking in Jewish way that means essentially, “Peter, we cannot set limits on mercy or forgiveness. Just forgive without limit.”

This of course raises many questions and people like to use extreme examples to illustrate that they think such a principle absurd or impractical. “Do you mean to say a wife should always welcome back her physically abusive husband if he says, “I’m sorry?!” Should a business welcome a stealing employee back and put him in charge of the cash register, just because he said, “I’m sorry?” “Should I have to let my alcoholic uncle stay and disturb my children just because he says he’s sorry and swears he won’t do it again?” Etc.

At some level these questions presuppose that forgiveness is to be fully equated with pretending something never happened, or that forgiveness obliges me to exhibit no change in the relationship, letting “bygones be bygones.” But, in fact we are not always able to live in peace, and have relaxed boundaries with people who have shown themselves to be untrustworthy in a consistent or fundamental way. Forgiveness does not usually oblige us to put ourselves or others at unreasonable risk, or, frankly, to merely set the sinner up for another fall.

But even though we may have to erect necessary and proper boundaries with those who have sinned against us, we are still summoned to forgive them. But what does forgiveness mean in situations like this?

In effect, forgiveness is letting go of the need to change the past. To forgive may not always mean we can simply return to the status quo ante, but it does mean that we are able to let go of resentments, bitterness, desires for revenge, hatefulness, and the need to lash out for what a person did or did not do. Forgiveness means we are able to set down the bowling balls of hatred and anger we so often carry about. It means we can even learn to love those who have harmed us, and have understanding for the struggles that may have contributed to their harmful behavior. Forgiveness can even mean that we are happy for the welfare of those who have hurt us and pray for their continued well being. Ultimately, forgiveness is freeing for us, and a crushing weight is removed when we receive this gift from God.

But how are we to receive this gift? The Lord gives an important insight for us to grasp in the verses ahead.

II. THE POVERTY THAT IS PROFOUND – The text says, That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’

The Lord’s parable begins by describing a man (this means you) who owes a huge amount. The Greek text says he owed ten thousand talents (μυρίων ταλάντων). Scripture scholars love to debate exactly how much this would be in modern currency. But for our purposes, it is a Jewish way of saying this guy owed many millions of dollars and he’s not just going to work a little overtime or take a part time job to pay it off. This is a debt that is completely beyond his capacity to pay. This man is toast, he has a profound poverty in that he is completely incapable or ever hoping to make a dent in what he owes.

But understand, this man is you and me. This is our state before God. We have a debt of sin so high and heavy that we can never hope to be rid of it on our own. I don’t care how many spiritual pushups we do, how many novenas, chaplets and rosaries, masses, fastings, pilgrimages, and gifts to the poor. We can’t even make a noticeable dent in the debt we owe.

People like to make light of sin today, and say stupid things like, “I am basically a good person” or “At least I’m not as bad as that prostitute over there.” OK, so you’ve got $500 and she’s only got $50. Big deal, the debt is three trillion. None of us can even come close. Without Christ paying the difference, we’re toast, finished, off to jail, off to hell. For we have all committed the infinite offense of saying “no” to a God who is infinitely holy. You and I just don’t have the resources to turn back the debt.

If it seems I belabor this point, fine. But we really have to get this through our thick skulls. We are in real trouble without Christ. And the more we can grasp our profound poverty and that hell is our destination without Jesus, then the more we can appreciate the gift of what he has done for us. So let this sink in: We are in big trouble, our situation is grave. And old song says, In times like these, you need a savior.

III. THE PITY THAT IS PERSONAL – The text says, Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.

Look at that! Don’t miss this! The WHOLE DEBT is paid. Complete and dramatic mercy! And notice how personal the mercy is. The text uses intensifiers: the master of THAT SERVANT let HIM go and forgave HIM the loan. This man is you. God has done this for you. You.

Now if we miss this point, nothing else makes sense. We have got to let it get through to us what God has done for us. And if we do, it will equip us to show mercy.

One day it will finally dawn on us that the Son of God died for us, died for me. And when it does, our stone hearts will break and love will pour in. And, with broken humbled hearts, we will find it hard to hate anyone. And in our gratitude we will gladly forgive those who have hurt us, even those who still hate us. With a new heart that the Lord can give us, we will forgive gladly, joyfully, and consistently out of gratitude and humility at what God has done for us.

But we have to get this. We have to know our poverty and inability to save ourselves. And then we have to know and experience that Jesus paid it all, that he saved us wholly and freely. And if this will break through for us, we will forgive and love others.

If we do not get this, and refuse to let the Holy Spirit to minister this gift to us, some pretty awful things will happen that are detailed in the final section of this gospel.

IV. THE PITILESSNESS THAT IS PERILOUS – The text tells a very tragic story: When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized one of his fellow servants and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Apparently this wicked servant never got in touch with his true poverty and refused to experience the gift that he himself had received. And in refusing this, his heart remained unbroken, it remained hard, it was stone. Having experienced no mercy (though mercy HAD been extended) he was willfully ill-equipped to show mercy to others. And being callously unaware of the unbelievable gift he had been given, he remains unchanged.  In so doing and being, he was unfit for the Kingdom of God, which can only be entered by gladly receiving mercy.

And yet, many Christians are like this. They go about quite unaware and unappreciative of either their need for mercy, or that incredible mercy has been extended them. Unaware, they are ungrateful, and ungrateful, their hearts are unbroken, and no light or love has really been able to enter there. Hurt by others they therefore hurt back, or hold grudges, or grow arrogant and unkind. They lack compassion or understanding for others and consider themselves superior to others, whom they see as worse sinners than themselves. Forgiveness is considered by them to be either a sign of weakness, or something that only foolish people do. As for them, “they don’t get angry, they get even.”

And it all begins with a person who has never known just how grave their condition and awful their poverty really is. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (Rev 3:17). And refusing to see their poverty they do not appreciate their gift, and so the terrible cycle ensues.

Scripture warns in many places of our need to experience and show mercy:

  1. Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins
  2. Matt 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
  3. Matt 7:2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
  4. Luke 6:37 Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
  5. Matt 18:35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
  6. James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. But mercy triumphs over judgment!
  7. Sirach 27:30 The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for He remembers their sin in detail. Forgive your neighbor’s injustice, then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Can anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Can anyone refuse mercy to another like himself and then seek pardon for his own sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside. Remember death and cease from sin. Think of the Commandments, hate not your neighbor, remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.

I don’t know about you, but I am going to need mercy on the day of judgement. And the Lord actually teaches in texts like these that we can have influence over the standard of judgment he will use. Do you want to find mercy? Then receive it now from him, and show it to others. Otherwise you will be judged with strict justice. And I promise you, you don’t want that. For if strict justice is the measure, we will surely go to Hell. We just owe too much to think we can make it without mercy.

OK, a tough gospel, but a freeing one too. It is sure that some of us find it hard to forgive. And some have been very deeply hurt. But in the end, forgiveness is a gift we have to receive from God. It is a work of God in us. And we should, and must ask for it. Even if we feel very hurt, seek the gift, it will bless you and prepare you to receive more mercy. But hear carefully the warnings. For if we cling to our anger, and refuse the freeing gift of forgiveness, we become unfit for the kingdom of heaven. No matter how deep our hurts we cannot ultimately justify our anger and refusal to forgive. God has just been too good to us. And if that will dawn on us, our hearts will break with joy and be filled with love. And forgiveness will surely come with a new heart.

Photo Credit: From the Josephite Collection

This songs says, Your grace and mercy brought me through, I’m living this moment because of you. I want to thank you, and praise you too, your grace and mercy brought me through.

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Even Demons Believe and Tremble – A Story about the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist

St Marys Trid Mass smaller

It was almost 15 years ago. I was At Old St. Mary’s here in D.C. celebrating Mass in the Latin (Extraordinary Form). It was a solemn high Mass. I don’t suppose I thought it any different than most Sunday’s but something quite amazing was about to happen.

As you may know the ancient Latin Mass is celebrated “ad orientem” (towards the Liturgical East). Priest and people all face one direction. What this means practically for the celebrant is that the people are behind him. It was time for the consecration. The priest is directed to bow low, his forearms on the altar table the host between his fingers.

As directed I said the venerable words of Consecration in a low but distinct voice, Hoc est enim Corpus meum (For this is my Body). The bells rang as I genuflected.

But behind me a disturbance of some sort, a shaking or rustling in the front pews behind me to my right. And then a moaning or grumbling. What was that? It did not really sound human, more like the grumbling of a large animal such as a boar or a bear, along with a plaintive moan that did not seem human. I elevated the host and wondered, “What was that?” Then silence. I could not turn to look easily for that is awkward for the celebrant in the ancient Latin Mass. But still I thought, What was that?

But it was time for the consecration of the chalice. Again, bowing low and pronouncing clearly and distinctly but in a low voice: Hic est enim calix sanguinis mei, novi et æterni testamenti; mysterium fidei; qui pro vobis et pro multis effundetur in remissionem pecatorum. Haec quotiescumque feceritis in mei memoriam facietis (for this is the cup of my Blood, of the new and eternal covenant; the mystery of faith; which will for the many be shed unto the remission of sins. When so ever you do this, you do it in my memory).

Then, I heard another sound this time an undeniable moan and then a shriek as some one cried out: “Leave me alone Jesus! Why do you torture me!” Suddenly a scuffling as some one ran out with the groaning sound of having been injured. The back doors swung open, then closed. Then silence.

Realization – I could not turn to look for I was raising the Chalice high over my head. But I knew in an instant that some poor demon-tormented soul had encountered Christ in the Eucharistic, and could not endure his real presence displayed for all to see. And the words of Scripture occurred to me: Even Demons believe and tremble (James 2:19).

Repentance – But just as James used those words to rebuke the weak faith of his flock I too had to repent. Why was a demon-troubled man more aware of the true presence and astonished by it than me? He was moved in the negative sense to run. Why was I not more moved in a positive and comparable way? What of the other believers in the pews? I don’t doubt that any of us believed intellectually in the true presence. But there is something very different and far more wonderful in being moved to the depth of your soul! It is so easy for us to be sleepy in the presence of the Divine, forgetful of the miraculous and awesome Presence available to us.

But let the record show that one day, almost 15 years ago, it was made quite plain to me that I held in my hands the Lord of Glory, the King of heaven and earth, the just Judge, and Ruler of the kings of the earth. Is the Lord truly present in the Eucharist? You’d better believe it, even demons believe that!