"So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come." (2 Cor. 5:17.)
From the days when Christians began first erecting houses of worship, architects and builders have intentionally made churches to look like up side down boats. Well before the cross and the crucifix were symbols of Christianity in art, the boat was our symbol. While the fish was a code word/symbol for us, the boat is depicted on the walls in ancient catacombs as a Christian symbol.The symbol of the boat as a significant Christian identity comes from the story this weekend of Jesus calming the storm while He was on the Sea of Galilee with His disciples. The reason that this was such a significant event for the early Church honor with artwork and churches is that the early Church was a persecuted Church and needed to know that the storms that they were facing were being calmed by Christ as well. With Christ at the helm of the Church and their lives, that even martyrdom could be faced with the hope of believing that the Lord would never abandon them.
This week in Charleston, South Carolina a racist with a gun murdered nine people while they were studying God's Holy Word in their church. It makes us grieve. It saddens me that there are more families that are fractured deeply. It saddens me that the Emanuel AME Church members, the people of Charleston, African Americans all around the US and the world, and people of every race who care are more injured and divided today than they were before Wednesday evening. "That they may be one" was Jesus' prayer to His Father at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John. and it seems that we are becoming less "one" and more separated.
Yet we are called to hope, trust, believe, forgive and care. Jesus was and is the proof that with God all things are possible. God becomes a human being in Christ. God cures, heals and forgives in Christ. God feeds us makes us Christ's Body. God defeats sin, division and death in Christ. Christ is the only real solution to any storm we face.
If you are ready to go live in a cave and give up, please wait. The actions of one hate filled man are not enough to negate the love and care of God. The hateful words, actions and mindsets of the racists who live in our United States or the terrorists of ISIS are nothing compared to God's forgiveness and peace. There are many reasons that we are divided. But there is only one BEST reason to hang in there. God creates us anew. He didn't create us and leave us alone. God is still creating us and His Kingdom. We are called to stay on the boat and trust our Lord.
peace,
Fr. Chuck
Friday, June 19, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
"Take this, all of you, and eat ...."
I just read an interesting tidbit about the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ that we celebrate this weekend.
"One person can make a difference—perhaps even change the liturgical calendar the Catholic Church follows in celebrating important traditions. The feast of Corpus Christi (literally, the body of Christ) was added to the calendar largely due to a 40-year campaign by a 13th-century religious woman, Juliana of Liège, who had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and worked to see a feast day devoted to it. Little by little the idea gained popularity and acceptance and is now celebrated worldwide." From Take Five for Faith on their Prepare the Word web page.
Of course we know that one person can make a difference in the Church and in the World. Mary's "Yes!" made a difference. Certainly Jesus made a huge difference. Abraham Lincoln, FDR, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others have made differences in our country and around the world. Mother Theresa, Pope John XXIII, and Pope John Paul II have made holy and dignifying differences to billions of people.
But, do you ever think that the one person who can change the world is possibly YOU? Do you think that you can make a difference in the world other than the sphere in which you live? Or, do you believe that you are making a difference in the world outside of your family, work place, neighborhood or local church?
I believe that this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ can help us to dream bigger, think bigger and be bigger in our world. To celebrate that we are fed by Christ Himself with Christ Himself gives us endless potential and endless capabilities. To be fed with the Flesh and Blood of the Messiah and Son of God makes us more powerful than we can ever imagine.
Pope Francis has asked us to "Wake up the World!" As members of the Body of Christ who are nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ, we have the strength needed to be all that the world needs to make sure that every person is provided dignity and that God is seen as the Love that God is.
peace,
me
"One person can make a difference—perhaps even change the liturgical calendar the Catholic Church follows in celebrating important traditions. The feast of Corpus Christi (literally, the body of Christ) was added to the calendar largely due to a 40-year campaign by a 13th-century religious woman, Juliana of Liège, who had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and worked to see a feast day devoted to it. Little by little the idea gained popularity and acceptance and is now celebrated worldwide." From Take Five for Faith on their Prepare the Word web page.
Of course we know that one person can make a difference in the Church and in the World. Mary's "Yes!" made a difference. Certainly Jesus made a huge difference. Abraham Lincoln, FDR, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others have made differences in our country and around the world. Mother Theresa, Pope John XXIII, and Pope John Paul II have made holy and dignifying differences to billions of people.
But, do you ever think that the one person who can change the world is possibly YOU? Do you think that you can make a difference in the world other than the sphere in which you live? Or, do you believe that you are making a difference in the world outside of your family, work place, neighborhood or local church?
I believe that this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ can help us to dream bigger, think bigger and be bigger in our world. To celebrate that we are fed by Christ Himself with Christ Himself gives us endless potential and endless capabilities. To be fed with the Flesh and Blood of the Messiah and Son of God makes us more powerful than we can ever imagine.
Pope Francis has asked us to "Wake up the World!" As members of the Body of Christ who are nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ, we have the strength needed to be all that the world needs to make sure that every person is provided dignity and that God is seen as the Love that God is.
peace,
me
Monday, June 1, 2015
God is God, and there is no other!
Sometimes we get too immersed in details to appreciate the beauty and wonder of things. It reminds me of the story of several blinded folded people who inspected an elephant by only touching the part they were closest to. The one who grabbed the tail told the others he had found a rope. The one felt the ear said he was touching a leaf on a banana tree. One person closest to a leg said he had found a huge tree. One of them felt the elephant's side and believed he was touching a massive wall. And, the one who grasped the trunk thought he was holding a python. Only when we're able to step back and open our eyes, are we able to see the whole picture.
I believe the same is true of God. While we may never be able to completely understand and view God, we do get a better grasp of who God is by attempting to know God from many angles. Our belief in the Trinity is part of that trying to know God from at least three different angles.
It is obvious that the more we learn from scientific exploration of the universe, the Earth, and even the human person, the more mysterious and wonderful God's creation becomes. I am really looking forward to reading Pope Francis' upcoming encyclical on being better stewards of the the world that God has given us. It's all about respecting human life, you know. Sometimes we limit our minds to thinking that "respect life" refers solely to protecting the unborn. That is extremely important, but all human life is given a Divine dignity. And, all that adds to and benefits human life (like clean air, water and safe healthy food) is also precious. The more we treat all folks like they are made in God's image and likeness, the better we and God's universe will be.
It is humbling still to realize that God shared our human life in the person of Jesus. God had aches and pains. He laughed with friends, family and children. He cried when He lost people He loved. Jesus got angry at people abusing other people. He was passionate about loving in accepting and self giving ways. He is the prototype for our humanity. By getting to know Jesus through Scripture, prayer and the Eucharist we learn to live our lives in Godly ways. He also shows us in His Sacrifice on the Cross that there is no mistake, no sin, nothing that will keep God from loving us. God goes to the most unimaginable extremes to save us and draw us into His love.
The Holy Spirit inspires us still. Every time we get an urge to think about God or anything beyond our selves, that is the Holy Spirit loving us. The Spirit moves us to reach out a hand in friendship or aid. The Spirit bids us to commit our lives to another (or a whole world or Church full of others) for life. The Holy Spirit is depicted as wind and fire often because the Spirit is the wind in our sails to propel toward God and others, and gets us fired up in order to live helpfully, lovingly, and boldly for God.
When we step back and see how God is working in all of the world and in our lives we begin to get a glimpse of the immensity of God. This week, maybe today, take a look at big our God is and how much our God loves you.
peace,
Fr. Chuck
I believe the same is true of God. While we may never be able to completely understand and view God, we do get a better grasp of who God is by attempting to know God from many angles. Our belief in the Trinity is part of that trying to know God from at least three different angles.
It is obvious that the more we learn from scientific exploration of the universe, the Earth, and even the human person, the more mysterious and wonderful God's creation becomes. I am really looking forward to reading Pope Francis' upcoming encyclical on being better stewards of the the world that God has given us. It's all about respecting human life, you know. Sometimes we limit our minds to thinking that "respect life" refers solely to protecting the unborn. That is extremely important, but all human life is given a Divine dignity. And, all that adds to and benefits human life (like clean air, water and safe healthy food) is also precious. The more we treat all folks like they are made in God's image and likeness, the better we and God's universe will be.
It is humbling still to realize that God shared our human life in the person of Jesus. God had aches and pains. He laughed with friends, family and children. He cried when He lost people He loved. Jesus got angry at people abusing other people. He was passionate about loving in accepting and self giving ways. He is the prototype for our humanity. By getting to know Jesus through Scripture, prayer and the Eucharist we learn to live our lives in Godly ways. He also shows us in His Sacrifice on the Cross that there is no mistake, no sin, nothing that will keep God from loving us. God goes to the most unimaginable extremes to save us and draw us into His love.
The Holy Spirit inspires us still. Every time we get an urge to think about God or anything beyond our selves, that is the Holy Spirit loving us. The Spirit moves us to reach out a hand in friendship or aid. The Spirit bids us to commit our lives to another (or a whole world or Church full of others) for life. The Holy Spirit is depicted as wind and fire often because the Spirit is the wind in our sails to propel toward God and others, and gets us fired up in order to live helpfully, lovingly, and boldly for God.
When we step back and see how God is working in all of the world and in our lives we begin to get a glimpse of the immensity of God. This week, maybe today, take a look at big our God is and how much our God loves you.
peace,
Fr. Chuck
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