Lenten Reflection—“Choose Life (again)”

Thursday After Ash Wednesday

Readings:
Dt 30:15-20
Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 
Lk 9:22-25

One of my Lenten devotions this year is to reflect on the daily readings.  While I won’t always have the time or motivation to post my reflections every day, I will try to post some of the ones that I find more edifying or relevant.

I reflected on these same readings two years ago as well, but I wanted to come at it from a slightly different angle this time around.

The “sound-bite” that we can take from the 1^st reading, and which will serve as our theme for reflection is “Choose life… that your descendants might live”.  This begs the questions—how do we choose life, and what does it mean to do so?

In the Readings:

In today’s first reading we see that we have two choices: Life or Death.  From the Old Testament perspective choosing life, or rather, choosing God, means keeping the commandments as well as “loving him and walking in his ways”.  It is these last two that I think are especially important, and we will flush out their meaning next.

We find a completely different story in the Gospel reading.  Though we should still keep the moral law (commandments) of the Old Testament, we find, through the fulfillment of Jesus and thus the law, that we are charged with a responsibility that is both harder than merely keeping commandments but also easier, as it speaks to our deepest human nature.  Basically, we are called to love. 

Loving in Lent:

I’ve posted a lot about love in the past, both in my Lewis Blog and this one.  However today I want to focus on a particular aspect of it as it pertains to the readings and to Lent, and which may be especially relevant over the last couple months.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Well I think it can be more than just flattery, it can also be a sincere form of love.  In fact, as an act of love, we are called to imitate Christ and do the will of God.  Today’s readings outline the best (though hardest) way to imitate Christ—dying and Sacrifice.

A good parallel is John 12:24-25, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.”

The Gospel for today is much the same, and in fact it’s likely that John used the words of Luke for his passage.  The point is, if we truly want to love God, if we want to be with him in eternity (choosing life), there is better way (and in fact really no OTHER way) than to sacrifice everything for him, even if that be our lives.  This is what the focus of lent should be… teaching ourselves to sacrifice so that we may love Christ and love like Christ.

How do we Sacrifice?

Now let me concede a point—very few of us, especially those of us with the means to be reading this blog right now, will be called to literally sacrifice our lives for Christ.  Martyrdom is still a very real and beautiful reality within the Church (and we should all, with God’s grace, pray that we be willing to accept it if it comes), but it most likely won’t happen while residing in a first world country (despite the path that certain first world countries seem to be taking concerning religion).  However, there are other ways to sacrifice or give up our lives for Christ, as well as opportunities, every day in fact, to sacrifice smaller things.  We call this “dying to ourselves”.

The major way in which we give our lives to Christ is through vocation—offering ourselves, our gifts, our work, to do what God is calling us to do.   Whether it’s being a priest, religious, raising a large family, doing missionary work, serving the poor, etc. following God’s will despite how scary it can be is a form of giving up our lives.

There are other, smaller ways, however, and this is where Lent comes in.  Dying to ourselves, to our desires and passions, is a way to grow in virtue (particular those of temperance and fortitude), and this is why we fast.  By fasting and giving up things that are important for us, and which are hard to give up, we slowly come to form the habit of giving things up.  Not only that, but it also drives us to prayer and contemplation on Christ’s suffering, and further cultivates in us a desire to imitate him.  See how this is cyclical?  See why it’s important to give things up, even if it’s little, as long as it’s important to us?  By practicing the small things, we can begin to find the larger sacrifices a little easier.

I was going to take this and apply it to why some people choose to have abortions or use birth control… but perhaps this isn’t right place or time, and I think you can make that connection by yourself (plus that’s why there’s a comments section ;-) ).

Choose life…

With all this said and done, let us try to choose life this lent by sacrificing those little things, and if need be anything big.  Let us pray as well that we may be willing to imitate Christ in love for him.  When it all comes down to it, loving like Christ is what we should all be focused on, whether it’s Lent or not.

Reflections on the Historical Jesus

Recently, I was asked a question about my thoughts on the "Historical Jesus"... ie searching for those words and acts that Christ ACTUALLY said and did.  I'll admit that, at the time the question was asked, I had had very little exposure to what the Historical Jesus actually was.  Basically, I lumped every analysis of the "Real Christ" as falling under John Dominic Crossan's "Quest for the Historical Jesus" and the subsequent "Jesus Seminar".  For the record, even after brief subsequent study on the historical Jesus, I still think the work of Crossan and the Jesus seminar is inspired by Satan... but more on that later.

For my Eucharist class I was required to read an article (The Eucharist at the Last Supper: Did it really happen? Theology Digest 42:4, Winter 1995) by Roman Catholic Historical Jesus scholar John Meier. I'll admit, Meier has begun to change my view on Historical Jesus, and has shown me the value the paradigm has in answering certain theological questions and gaining a deeper understanding and love for the person of Christ and Sacred Scripture.

Meier starts off by saying that, while his book A Marginal Jew is often "yoked" with the Jesus seminar, he nevertheless disagrees with Crossan on key issues of Catholicism, for instance... whether or not the Last Supper actually happened.  Meier also points out the value of knowing the historical Jesus in reaction to fundamentalist's literal readings.

Without giving away the whole article, or just quoting applicable one-liners from Meier, I'll just give you my general assessment:

Theology is faith seeking understanding, and faith is also rooted in the intellect, which requires some element of reason to truly assent to God.  It is for this reason that the Church has always upheld faith AND reason as essential to true belief in God.  While different believers are responsible for various levels of understanding concerning faith, it is important for theologians, teachers, and priests to have a deep wisdom and understanding of theological knowledge in order to defend the Truth and help uphold the faith of others.

The Historical Jesus, and historical criticism in general, when applied correctly, in respect to tradition, right reason and intent, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can be a wonderful tool and paradigm in gaining a deeper understanding of the Gospel and the doctrines of our faith.  It is for example, in learning the formula that Christ used during the last supper we can begin to see, as Meier says that,

"...what the hallowed bread and wine first of all mediate or communicate is not a static thing but a dynamic reality, the whole saving event of Jesus' death and ultimate vindication" (350).

It is through such study that we begin to see our doctrines in new and beautiful ways, as they were handed to us by Christ himself.

However, this paradigm is not for everyone, for those who are not firm in their faith, sound of reason, or guided by the Holy Spirit, may fall into serious and grave error such as that of the Jesus Seminar who has concluded that, "Jesus was a mortal man born of two human parents, who did not perform nature miracles nor die as a substitute for sinners nor rise bodily from the dead.^[3][4][5] Sightings of a risen Jesus were nothing more than the visionary experiences of some of his disciples rather than physical encounters.^[3][4][5]"   I'll let you figure out exactly that is not in accord with the core of Christian belief.

So, when we aim to de-mythologize and legalize the words of Christ, we can fall into serious error.  But for those of us who approach this aspect of historical criticism with the intent of greater understanding and in respect to already established doctrines of the Church, we can come to a deeper faith.

So my brethren, happy (and appropriate) "Questing".

Divine Mercy, Divine Justice

I want to reflect briefly on the Gospel reading for today.  You can read it here, or just open your Bible to Mathew 18:21-35.

First, I want to look at the exchange between Jesus and the Apostle Peter.  Peter, asking the Lord how many times he should forgive his neighbor, suggests an answer to his own question--7 times.  Now, Peter thought he was pretty hot stuff here, because according to Jewish law you only had to forgive your neighbor 3 times before seeking justice.  Not only did Peter double that number, but he added one--clearly he went above and beyond the requirements of the Law.  However, Jesus responds that he must forgive his neighbor 77 times.  In Bible-speak that basically translates to an "inconceivable amount".  No Jew of their time would ever have fathomed forgiving a neighbor that many times.  This is the incredible challenge that Christ gives us, to forgive unceasingly.  God does this as well, although he also deal out Divine Justice as well... but only per our choice.

The second half of the Gospel is the parable Christ tells to illustrate the need for human forgiveness, the gift of Divine mercy, and manifestation of Divine Justice.  Interpreting from the allegorical sense, the Master in the parable is God, who despite us being unworthy and completely unable to pay our debt to him, forgave us our debts and allows us to live with him.  Because God has forgiven us, we must also forgive our brethren.  When we are "trespassed against", we must show mercy and forgive those have hurt us.  Why? Because when we fail to live in the light and example of God's mercy, we are choosing rather to live in His justice--and what is the justice of non-forgiving? Being unforgiven.  This is what results in Hell (or in the case of the parable, torture).

I think it especially providential that these readings occurred on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say--God wants us to forgive the men who did this and who continue to do such things.  Should we wish Hell on these men, and on Osama Bin Laden?  No, for that is not love.  Instead we should forgive them, choose to move on and not let it control our lives, and even radically pray for their conversion and entrance into heaven.  It's a hard message to hear, many wounds are still open or never actually healed properly, but I urge you, if you want to receive God's mercy you must give mercy yourself... and if you can do it with Sept 11, you can pretty much do it with anything.

May you find love and mercy in your heart.

The Spirit of Liturgy

Today I want to discuss something which has been on my mind for a couple days, and which is the product of comments from both protestants and Catholics, as well as my experience of a Passover Meal. Basically the question is, to what extent is the Spirit present in the Catholic Liturgy?

I have heard some protestants say that one of the problems with the Catholic Mass is that it's not open to the call of the Spirit--that is, its "always the same" and so one cannot respond what the Spirit may be calling the minister or congregation to do.

On the flip side, I know that one of the problems many Catholics have with Protestant services is that "there is no order". The beautiful thing about the Liturgy which we Catholics have come to hold dear is the Ritual.

I'm going to just lay down the basics (otherwise this will be a very lengthy post). Any in-depth reading can be done through the links embedded throughout.

First let us define our terms: Liturgy can be defined as "Public Worship of God".
Ritual can be defined as "the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies ".
While Liturgy in the general sense does not require ritual, in the Catholic Church they are nearly synonymous. Basically, Liturgy could be thought as "Ritual done in communion for the worship of God."

Ritual Liturgy is not a Catholic invention... anyone who claims that is blind and ignorant of scripture. It has been around for over 3000, since the time of Moses and God's rules for Passover, Sacrifice, Worship, etc. The Pentateuch could be considered a Crash Course on Ritual. In fact, it is safe to say that at least 75% of what Catholics do at Mass alone, is from Jewish tradition.

Are we to presume that God's Spirit wasn't at work whenever the Jews sacrificed two doves? Or during Passover? Or when they read Midrash and TaNaK in the Temple?

Of course not! Perhaps the problem arises from thinking that "being open" to the Spirit of God means being completely flexible and unplanned in concerns to worship. This, perhaps, is a true difference in protestant vs. Catholic culture. However, I believe the purpose of God's Spirit is to draw into greater worship and Unity with Him. Thus, anything that can accomplish such things must be open to the Spirit, since it only through him that we can truly praise God.

How is the Spirit Present?

The Vatican II document Sacrosanctum Concilium (On Sacred Liturgy) states that God is present in four ways during the celebration of Mass. 1) Most importantly God is physically present in the Eucharist and through it we receive Christ into us. What better way is there to be unified to our God than this? 2) God is also present in the ordained minister, who acts "en persona Christi" or, In the Person of Christ and thus it is as though we celebrate the Mass with Jesus himself. 3) God is also present in the Word of God, especially the Gospel. This hearkens to the idea prevalent in God that the "Logos" is not only the Words spoken by God, but Christ himself as well (a rather complex theology that I have never quite fully understood). 4) Finally, in accordance with Matthew 18:20, the Spirit of God is present in the Assembly of the Faithful, especially in their song and prayer.

While there is so much more to be said, I will leave it at this for now. The Holy Spirit is abundantly present in the all Catholic Liturgy (the Mass and otherwise), because the purpose of Liturgy is the same as the purpose of the Spirit--to unite us in worship with God. This practice is millenia old and is manifest by God-given rituals!

Reflection on 1 Cor 10-12

What wonderful readings today! I'm going to focus mostly on how these readings can be used as an aid in Catholic Doctrine Apologetics.

A good portion of Chapter 10 and 11 focus on Christ's Sacrifice and our Eucharistic meal--THE CORE MOST CENTRAL DOGMA OF OUR FAITH! This is pretty much my reason for being Catholic, so I will enumerate on what this passage means for Catholics! In 10:16 Paul reminds us that we are indeed sharing in the "Body and Blood" of Christ. Here, sharing is from the greek "Koinonia", which literally means "to participate in". In 11:24-25 Paul again affirms, in the words of Christ, "This is my body... This is my blood... do this in remembrance of me". Here the greek for "remembrance" is "anamnesis", which literally means to "remember again". This does not mean that this is MERELY a memory, but that it should not be vainly done without remembering the sacrifice of Christ. While being support for the belief in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the ideas of Partaking and Remembering together hold support for what the Catholic Church holds the Eucharistic Celebration (the Mass) to be--an actual participation in the original crucifixion of our Lord! Whoah! By participating in the remembrance (re-presentation), and keeping in mind that God is outside of time and died for those in all times, we are actually making manifest Golgatha on the Altar. Additionally... why would Christ sacrifice himself, and then celebrate such a sacrifice if he did not want us to be there at Golgatha with him?

The second idea I want to touch on is the focus on chapter 11 and deals with "head coverings" which, for many modern day people, seems to be a point of contention with Paul. However, there is evidence that shows that, with respect to everything else the Corinthians sucked at, this was a relatively unimportant matter to Paul, and the Corinthians probably brought it up themselves. First let me say that Paul was not against women teaching in the Church, for he mentions women praying and prophesying (11:5). Rather, the point of this passage is two-fold: 1) to recognize proper authority within the Church and within relationships, and 2) to celebrate God-Given Differences in Sexuality! On point two: God created men and women different, and complimentary. Though we are equal, we are not the same. It is these very differences that make us compliment each other, and thus we have different gifts and roles (more on that in the next section). On point one: All genuine authority comes from God, therefore though in a traditional sense a man may be the head of the relationship as deemed by God, it does in no way demean the role of the woman. Both are mutually submissive (11:11-12) to each other and, though the man may be the head, the woman is definitely the heart of the relationship. A relationship cannot function without both.

Finally, let me speak on Spiritual gifts and the Body of Christ! This section of Chapter 12 has many implications for Catholic Doctrine. First, it forms the basis of Catholic Social Teaching and Solidarity--because we are all connected, we have an inherent duty to uphold the dignity, health, and well being of all our members. Secondly, I believe this aids in the support of Women not being priests. Paul reminds us that, not all are called be apostles, prophets, healers, etc. and yet it is that very difference that makes us beautiful. In reality, we don't choose our vocation, God does, and it is not our Right to be made holy by following God's will... it is our privilege. Therefore, though some women (and also some men) may have a desire to become a priest, it is not necessarily their calling. We are all called to minister in the way in which God can best use us, and even if that calling may be "lowly" we are assured that greater honor is given to the "inferior members" (12:23).

Reflection on 1 Cor 4-6

Having addressed the problems of the Corinthian Church is the past two chapters, Paul now begins to move into his teaching about how to fix said problems. In the following chapters there is heavy implications about living a virtuous life.

Trustworthiness--Paul says first (4:2) that stewards must be trustworthy. This is ever so important because people must be able to trust that the words we speak, and the actions that we do are in accordance with the Truth of Christ. Being trustworthy is also especially important in the second virtue:

Right Judgement--Paul states "do not pronounce judgment before the time", and that all judgment really comes from the Lord (4:5). However, being Christians there are times when we are called to exercise right judgment, especially when calling someone to greater holiness, or in preventing someone from hurting the Church as a whole. Paul deals with this in chapter 5 when he talks about the effects of Sexual Immorality on the Church. He states that these people MUST be judged and that such is a sin is even worse to associate with than robbers, greed, and idolaters. He states that even one speck can ruin the holiness of the whole (5:6). He even condones kicking such a person out! This seems radical and a last resort, for of course the purpose of the Church is to bring people to Christ, not keep them from Him. However, when the acts of one jeopardize the holiness of the whole, he must be let go. The Church has shown this in the past through the practice of excommunication in extreme circumstances. I recently had to ban a youth from the program for the rest of the year. I didn't want to, but I had to--and this gives biblical weight to the decision I had to make. All we can do for such people is pray for them. Finally, part of exercising right judgement is knowing when and where to do so. Like Paul says in Chapter 6--we don't bring matters between believers to be judged by unbelievers... that's just stupid.

Chastity--Obviously if sexual immorality stains the entire church, we should be chaste, living our lives according to the sexual guidelines of our current vocation.

Humility--The second half of Chapter 4 deals with the virtue of Humility, arguably the most important Christian and Contrary Virtue. Paul blatantly points out that all things we have are gifts, so why would we boast? Silly Corinthians. Verses 10-13 are beautiful as Paul outlines the dichometric qualities of the Apostles with those of "normal believers" in that all the Apostles do would seemingly be negative to most of society (foolish, weakness, disrepute, hunger, thirst, etc.) but because all are done in Christ, they are made righteous by them.

Freedom--Finally Paul talks a bit of freedom, which is again in conjunction with right judgment. The phrase "all things are lawful for me" at first threw me for a loop, for how can all things be lawful? However, after doing some research with some Biblical Commentaries, I realized that this statement is said by the Corinthians. In other words, it highlights the Corinthians' distorted view of freedom as being "able to do what one wants" rather than "able to do the good". Therefore, while freedom of will allows us to do what we will, the freedom allotted to us by Christ does not. Because our bodies are a temple and made to glorify God, we should actively engage that which glorifies God, and actively flee from that which does not. It sometimes takes right judgment to decide which is which.

Reflection on 1 Cor 1-3

Corinthians is one of my favorite books and, being recently called to read it more in depth, I have decided this would be a wonderful way to process some of what I read.

In 1:10 Paul tells us that there should be "no division" among us and that we should be "united in the same mind and purpose". Paul today is probably sobbing up in heaven (not really) about how divisive our Church has become... not only do we have Catholics and Protestants, but we have over 5,000 denominations of Protestantism, various forms of Catholicism, and even in the Catholic Church we have "Liberal and Conservative, Orthodox and Progressive". Of course, this isn't all bad, varying opinions lead to the rich diversity of the Church. However, the problem arises when these different opinions turn into to divisions. We are not of the same mind... we may all claim to be centered on Christ, but our actions speak otherwise. I am positive that God does not think in terms of denominations... he doesn't want them, but does it really matter if there are differences as long as the center is the same?

The next section kind of threw me for a loop. In 1:17, Paul states that Christ did not send him to Baptize but to proclaim the Gospel. Isn't this contradictory to the great commission in Matthew? However, maybe Paul is responding to the problems he sees with people saying "I was baptized by N." In 18, Paul quotes Isaiah saying that God thwarts the discernment of the discerning. I still don't know what that means... why would God thwart something he wants us to actively engage in?

Next Paul talks about wisdom in relationship to proclaiming Christ Crucified. In 2:4-5 he talks about how he does not speak with words of wisdom but with demonstration of the Spirit. Beautiful! While wisdom is great, we sometimes forget that we are experiential beings, and thus much of our evangelization should be based on helping others EXPERIENCE God!

There is so much more in these first three chapters that I could talk about. But these are the main ideas, and I'm sick of writing.

Lenten Reflection--Ash Wednesday

This year I am going to attempt to post a daily reflection during Lent based on the readings of Mass that day.

Ash Wednesday:
Jl 2:12-18
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
2 Cor 5:20—6:2
Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

When reading and reflecting on the above readings, the primary theme that comes to mind is having proper relationship with God and the effect of such in our lives. This is a wonderful theme to start off the season of Lent because it is supposed to be a time of repentance, re-turning towards God, and cultivating a better relationship with Him through various actions. Let us examine a few of the ways in which we can build proper relationship with God during this season of Lent.

The Heart
In the first reading the LORD says "return to me with your whole heart". While rather obvious, this seems to be something that many Christians take for granted--we are supposed to give God our WHOLE Heart! Not just half, not only the parts we are proud of--the whole thing. How do we do such a thing? Through "Fasting, Weeping, and Mourning". Wait... so we're supposed to deny ourselves and in a sense suffer, in order to return to God? Yes, what a concept... why would God want us to suffer? Because He loves us(how antithetical)! We are human, and often we return to God only when we suffer. Even if we rejoice in God with our joys, suffering still unites us to the Sacrifice of Christ and brings us closer to Him in meditation of His Passion. This is one concepts behind the idea of "Penance". So now that we know how to give our hearts to God in during Lent, what is the effect? He will "relent and give blessing". Basically, God rewards pure actions and a contrite heart... it's called Heaven. The Psalm also points to the necessity of "creating a clean heart" in receiving the Mercy of God. Finally, the Gospel speaks of going to your "inner room", which in one interpretation, means entering into your heart to speak to God. After all, if you've given it to him completely, He is sure to be there!

Fasting, Prayer, and Alms Giving
While its good to know that the heart is arguably the most important personal concern during Lent developmentally, how manage your heart is even more important to understand. Typically, the Catholic Church holds that the three primary practices of Lent are Fasting, Prayer, and Alms-giving.

Fasting--Also known as "abstaining" this is the practice of giving something up. While it typically applies to meat (which there are rather simple rules about), the Church encourages the faithful to give up something in addition (Pop, Facebook, Chocolate, etc.). The idea is that, by stripping away those things that ordinarily distract us from God, as well as causing us a bit of discomfort, we are more able to focus on God. Therefore, fasting in and of itself is useless unless paired with its goal--prayer and a change of behavior. This principle is blatantly supported in the first reading.

Prayer--The value of prayer is obvious--it's conversation with God and a necessity in fostering a love of Him. If done correctly, fasting should bring us into deeper prayer than we are used to. Especially appropriate for lent is the meditation on the various trials of Jesus (the Temptation, Crucifixion, Death of Lazarus, etc.), as these things are especially relevant to the Spirit of Lent. Again, the Gospel reading gives us some ideas about how we should pray.

Alms-giving--The least known practice of Lent, alms-giving should be the effect of fasting and prayer, as they aim to turn our heart towards God, ultimately resulting in "changed behavior". Typically, the practice is giving money to the poor. In reality however, I think Alms could apply to any of the Spiritual or Corporal works of Mercy. The concept of Alms is stated briefly in the Gospel (which also tells us how to give alms), but I believe it is also alluded to in the 2 Cor. reading when Paul calls us "brothers and sisters in Christ" and implores us to "work together to be reconciled to God".


Knowing now the Spirit of lent, let us cultivates our hearts, minds, and spirits through the sacred practices of Lent. In doing such practices we return to God, the effects of which are obviously enumerated not only in scripture, but in the very desires of our soul.

On Waiting (Psalm 130)

Psalm 130, the De Profundis, is my favorite Psalm because I think it so adequately highlights the state of life for the human individual and so rightly captures the essence of “waiting for the Lord”. The concept of waiting for the Lord is of primary importance for the life of the Christian for numerous reasons. Firstly, it points to the nature of revelation as progressive and non—immediate. God cannot possibly reveal to us the whole of revelation in our lives because we would not, as humans, be able to either understand it or accept it. And so God reveals it slowly so as to slowly wean us off our own wills and onto his. Secondly, it points to the Theological Virtue of Hope, which is of essential importance both in this life, and for those of us who go to Purgatory. Other virtues I see to be wrapped up in this idea of waiting are patience, an allied virtue of fortitude, and humility, an allied virtue of temperance. Finally, this waiting must be done with an attitude of prayer, and with love for God and his will.
The De Profundis starts off by exclaiming “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord hear my plea.” This is very telling of the human condition, which itself is in the “depths” of being. Because of our state of sin and disunion with God, we are ignorant of true reality until it is revealed to us, and we are left in an existence of darkness and uncertainty. This is what it means to cry out from the depths, to plea to God for revelation and forgiveness of sins which separates us from him. My favorite part of Psalm 130 is the stanza in which it states, “My soul longs for the Lord more than watchman at daybreak. Let watchmen count on daybreak, and Israel count on the Lord.” This statement truly is profound in that it states absolute certainty in the coming of the Lord. Its stating that for Israel (the Church and its people) the coming of the Lord is more certain then even the coming daybreak! Oh such Faith and Hope in the Lord. And this is where the Theological virtue of hope enters—hope, being the certainty of God’s covenant being fulfilled, has more confidence than even the scientific and experiential certitude that the sun will rise again tomorrow. Traditionally, we have hope in God’s forgiveness of sins, and thus our receiving eternal life. However, I posit that, in this life, we also have certitude that God will reveal to us everything that we need to know. This seems to be a pretty obvious statement, for why would God not reveal to us that which we need to know in order to fulfill his will. But in our human fraility, we frequently doubt God’s intention to reveal to us his will or plan, primarily because we are impatient.
This finally is where the virtues of patience and humility enter. We must be patient with God. He knows us better than ourselves and so we must be prepared to bear the burden of the unknown until he sees it fit for us to know it. This patience also entails an element of humility, because it will be the humble person who realizes that they are finite, and that God knows better than he or she. It will also take a humble person to realize that they may have a lack of patience.
Waiting for the Lord is necessary because from the depths we are crying. Indeed God hears our pleas, and he cries out to his children to wait until the appointed time for his revelation. God will always comfort us and always tell us what we need to know, sometimes it just takes time. It is then when we must offer up whatever suffering we may be enduring, in order to come into better union with him and eventually be lifted from the depths and into the eternal light.

On Spiritual Wilderness

Written: January 17, 2009 (12:30pm)--Senior Theology Retreat, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Winona, MN.

Question: How does the use of "wilderness" in the Bible speak to me spiritually?

As I'm sitting in the church in silent prayer, one of my favorite verses keeps coming to mind--Hosea 2:16. In this part of the book, God is condemning and punishing Israel for her crimes, saying that He will take all away from her. However, 2:16 reads "So I will allure her; I will lead her into the desert (wilderness) and speak to her heart". From there it goes on to say how God will restore and renew Israel. This caused me to ponder...what exactly is "wilderness" in a spiritual sense. Consider the following series of verses:

Matthew 4:1-11
Luke 5:1-11
Matthew 14:22-33
John 21

In a metaphorical sense, the wilderness is in some sense, a form of abandonment from God. God in some way is not present to us. Also, it is an area of extreme discomfort or suffering. Many would call this a "Dark Night", however, I believe that is only one form that the wilderness may take. This is shown in the Bible by the "desert" (desolate, empty), and by the "ocean" (chaotic, unknown, uncomfortable).

Now...using these verses I came up with a 4 stage development concerning "wilderness":
1) God calls us to the wilderness and renews us (Hosea 2:16)
2) This calling requires Trust (Lk 5:1-11, Mt 14:22-33, Jn 21)
3) After calling/renewal, we recognize God (Mt 14:22-33)
4) Have been called, renewed, and recognized God...we are sent (Lk 5:1-11, Jn 21)

Let me now make my case:
1) God renews us in the wilderness. When we enter a "wilderness" (suffering, abandonment, ect.) we are there for a reason--because God has called us there. By entering the wilderness we feel alone and in some way suffer, but, because God does not allow for any suffering without a purpose, this wilderness eventually "renews" us, and we are restored to a better state.

2) While in this wilderness, we must have trust that God will deliver us. Some examples of this are the disciples casting out their nets even when they had failed previously (Lk 5, Jn 21) and Peter trusting the Lord as he walked on water (Mt 14). We must trust that what God brings us to experience also brings us to fulfillment.

3) After being renewed, and realizing that we have been called to this wilderness, we recognize God in it. Examples of this are the disciples recognizing Jesus after following His command to cast out their nets (Jn 21) and the disciples recognizing Him after Peter walked on water (Mt 14).

4) Finally, after hearing the call, being renewed, and recognizing God in our experience, He sends us to evangelize in some way, and better equipped or motivated than before. Examples of this are Jesus' temptation in the desert (after which we began his ministry and the "Sermon on the Mount") (Mt 4), the disciples dropping their nets and following Christ (Lk 5), Jesus' command to Peter, "feed my sheep" (Jn 21).

I believe that, though this "formula" is not fully developed, it still gives evidence of a purpose and hope that is present in most any form of suffering or abandonment.