he saw and believed - December 27, 2010

Waking up can be a little difficult this time of year for many unknown reasons. This is also a time for remembrance and reverence for all holy people who have believed, lived, and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This season asks each Christian to take a minute and count each blessing, each gift from God and to give thanks. The lessons within each reading point toward the universality of God's love. The message within each Mass presents the breadth of God's love for all of humanity. People on the right road will experience a little longing for Christ after hearing each Gospel reading. People on the right road will work to model their whole lives with a universal love, compassion, and sense of social justice. Each moment in their lives will bring more understanding, more wisdom. With effort each word of the Gospel can be understood. For the greatest gift of the season is developing the courage to be good, kind, and holy in the presence of both man and God.

Waking up can be a little difficult this time of year because everyone has something to complain about. This is not the time for heated discussions about God, the Eucharist, Jesus Christ, the Ten Commandments. This is a time for Love. This is a time for humility. This is a time to listen, not to be drawn into a paradox of excited opinion. This is a time for goodness, kindness, holiness. Each action of Christian, hopefully, will be pleasing to God. Rhetoric and grand speeches will not get a man or woman into heaven. Rhetoric and grand speeches will not make a man or woman holy. Rhetoric and grand speeches will fill the ears of the listeners with hollow sounds and unasked questions. There is always a need for penance, a need for Reconciliation with God. For some this time of year is a moment of extreme vanity when the spotlight shines on them, the parties they attend, the gifts they give, the gifts they receive. Although it might be difficult, please remember that this is a time to love and serve God. The true message of Christmas reminds each Christian of the necessity of patience and encourages each Christian to keep their gaze heavenward, to allow each step to lead them to the heavenly kingdom.

Hanging on Words

"It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.'" Luke 19:46

Many people have their own personal ideas about prayer. Many people have their own personal ideas about attending Mass. When we go Mass we understand that there is both a Liturgy of the Word and a Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Mass is a celebration. These things we know. But, what happens when we attend Mass?

Are we engaged and listening to each prayer and reading that we hear? When we recite the prayers and the creed, is our voice passionate, are we speaking with love and hope? When we receive the Eucharist, what is in our hearts, our minds, our souls?

As Catholics we are asked to be active participants. It is not enough to simply recite our lines. We must remember the life of Jesus Christ. We must remember the death of Jesus Christ. This is essential. As Catholics we must open our minds, be ready to learn about goodness.

Attending Mass should be a time of renewal, a time of peace. We should look forward to attending Mass. When we attend Mass, we should always remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and remember to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Attending Mass should be a way to show and share your love.

We must allow ourselves to hang on every syllable, every word that we hear during the Mass. There is a purpose for each word. As Catholics we must teach ourselves how to listen and reflect on each Mass. As the believers we must always hang on to every word and be prepared to encourage others to do the same. Our actions should inspire others to follow us and to believe in God.

Prayer is very important to us as Christians. How many prayers do we hear during each Mass? Are the prayers important to you? Do the prayers move you, make you think, help you to understand and remember the passion of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday I Woke up

This morning I woke up early. An acquaintance had casually told me about a marathon which would be on my street. I decided that I would like to photograph it. I planned to take only a handful of shots, no more than twenty. I knew that I would take a few more than twenty. I have photographed marathons before. So I realized that there might be a few more shots than twenty. All runners look the same especially when taken out of context and frozen for a photograph. That morning there was a quick prayer said as I picked up my camera bag and keys. That morning I walked into the coolness, the freshness of a new day thinking of the word procession, trying to develop an essay on movement in my mind. That morning I was happy to be a Christian, happy to be standing up, happy to be planning on attending the 12:10 Mass at the Cathedral. My mind was filled with all types of thoughts and images as several motorcycles moved by my building. Of course I did not automatically know what was to follow. Being awake does not always mean being alert or being aware. And so I watched the motorcycles with a little wonder, expecting a motorcade. How amazed and amused I was when I saw the first runners, moving together, four individuals, eight legs gracefully attacking the asphalt and so of course I aimed at them with my camera and tried to capture the moment. This morning I decided that I wanted a tee-shirt from the bank which was sponsoring the race. This was the true motivating factor which lead me out of my house into that most glorious and inspiring moment. Standing there I was happy to be Catholic. As the runners ran by I allowed myself to think of the Procession of Palms which easily folded into the Eucharistic Procession. As more and more faces and feet attacked the pavement around me I thought of the Procession of the Cross. Marathon running is a solitary experience, it is a contest of man against himself, man against nature, man against man. There is no ball; there is no team. It is truly an individual sport. Looking at the expressions on the faces of the runners I saw hope, enthusiasm, fear. Initially, I was standing in the middle of the street near the double line which separated the street into two lanes. Initially all of the runners remained safely, comfortably away from me within the other lane closest to the bank and the curb. Suddenly, I was trapped on the street, feet and faces were aimed directly at me. My focal points were changing. I was briefly concerned about causing a collision, I said a brief prayer to God for myself and then started praying for each runner that I saw. The runners kept appearing, moving toward me, I was crouched on the pavement near the double orange line filled with hope, filled with joy. There was so much movement, so many arms waving, arms robotically jousting the air. And there were spectators with witty, suggestive signs cheering and encouraging the runners. This was a moment of true liberation, all present were human beings with peace and hope and freedom and dignity. Sharing this moment with these complete strangers, runners and spectators allowed a deep compassion to wash over me and I forgot myself, my desires. Goodness does exist in the world if we are quiet and allow our souls to find it.

Insomnia 101

We live in an age of insomnia. Our computers have a sleep mode; we have multitasking. Temporal ideas constantly shift around us, causing angst, releasing anxiety. We want to believe that our daytime dreams, inspirations are individual, personal, specific only to us; we want to accept that our nighttime fears, apparitions are also specific to us. But neither are completely correct.

Our cultural insomnia leads us into a wasteland, into a desert, not for purification or to become closer to God but to gently, quietly, clandestinely break our relationship with God. It occurs easily, naturally. Society numbs us with all types of temptations which we try to resist. Science ever the handmaiden to sin and vice provides an objective truth which in popular culture can easily supersede moral and ethical concerns. Quickly reductionist ideas are introduced and spread throughout a culture in search of leisure, pleasure, relaxation, sleep. Anything that requires extra effort, extra thought is discarded. This can lead to both intellectual and spiritual confusion.

Popular culture exists only to entertain. If education occurs it is incidental. Pop culture wants to inspire laughter, tears, and gasps. Pop culture wants to be remembered. Pop culture understands that it is always temporary; it is cyclical creating and destroying. Ideologies and idealism bob in the currents of popular culture before sinking in the current of a new, fresh trend. Pop culture reminds us that nothing lasts forever. There are syndicated television shows from various eras, radio stations playing oldies songs. Pop culture exists to keep us awake. It presents aspirations to us in living color, high definition. And sadly many humans are nothing more than laboratory rats in brilliantly appointed cages, running on treadmills, chasing thinks we do not completely want, saying things we do not completely believe. Pop culture provides information, provides doubt. Pop culture becomes an amoeba, dividing itself again and again until it encompasses so much space in our lives filled with sinister trivia about celebrities deified and defiled in quick order, trivia about sporting contests which leads spectators to rowdy, violent behavior, trivia about political programs which misinform and confuse the electorate, trivia about interpersonal relationships which cause divorce, loneliness, anxiety. Pop culture never presents the truth, merely a representation of the truth.

Where can any human being find the truth? What one thing is based upon the truth?

Religion is based upon truth. As Christians always remember Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, “One God, one faith.”

Our baptism ordains each of us to God. It is our duty, our obligation to learn how to use our entire lives to show reverence to God. Our religion maintains faith in God and instructs us to maintain faith in God. By attending Mass regularly we experience the varied actions of religion; we learn how to suffer, to make sacrifices, to make vows, to worship, to serve, to pray, to love and how to think and contemplate about our lives, our actions, our world. Consequently we learn about God’s power and God mystery each and every day of our lives. The actions of religion deepen our relationship with God, allow us to hear his call, provide a guide to a virtuous life of goodness. We are asked to allow our lives to become permanent adoration vessels for God, projecting our love and reverence for the Eucharist, sharing our love and reverence for God.

We must never forget the significance of Jesus Christ in the role of the Church and in our lives. We must always strive to do the right thing, the fair thing, the just thing. Justice based upon the Beatitudes should always be our guide. We must allow our ears to listen for God’s call. “Hear my voice: I am the Lord your God.” We must allow our hearts and souls to respond to God’s call.

Christ instructs us to love God with our complete heart, complete mind, complete soul, complete strength. Christ instructs us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Christ provides a simple lesson of love which he knows will be difficult for us to do always but he wants us to try and fail and try again and again. Failure should not become an obstacle, our failure should encourage us to redouble our efforts.

Attracts Attention

A darkening sky. Windows alive with golden electric light. Looking up at the buildings, all concrete and glass and realizing, imagining that I am in another city, a larger city, no imagining that I am in a movie city, larger, grander, more eclectic. Looking at the pedestrians, smartly dressed, neatly dressed; looking at the shiny cars speeding through the intersections as the traffic lights change from yellow to red. This was how a visitor described the office buildings surrounding Farragut Square.

Offering hope, teaching love and forgiveness to an apprehensive, angst-ridden society engrossed in disproving everything, deconstructing goodness and holiness, depositing malignant doubt in the hearts and minds while talking peace and security. Amid the cataclysmic anxious downpour of fear and jealousy prayer can still help each person who takes the time to pray. Instability rules, encourages people to move away from their families for all types of temporal reasons. But, Christians are taught to praise God, to trust God, to love God, to obey God. These items will never change.

How do modern Christians describe their relationship with Jesus Christ, with God?

The gradual changes in the function of Christianity, as society alters, will, I hope, continue encouraging the conversion of adults. Being Catholic is a big commitment; being Catholic is offering your life to God; being Catholic is being a humble servant of God; being Catholic is learning how to love everybody and how to forgive everybody. These are just a few general statements about being Catholic.

Each Catholic interprets and practices the faith however they choose. We can not see what is in anyone’s heart. We look at individual interactions, how we talk to each other, whether we volunteer or not, whether we pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament, if we know what the Blessed Sacrament is.

Although Christianity is over two thousand years old, it is not static, not out of touch. The commandments and teachings are as relevant today as they were when they were first written. Mankind may have technology, but human behavior has not changed. The commandments can easily be expanded to fit all of the technological advances.

Since the beginning Christians have been criticized and ridiculed. At times there are lessons to be learned from the criticism. Sometimes this criticism is retrograde, irreverent, irrelevant. The basic sensibilities of love and forgiveness appear to alarm many non-believers who attack the validity of God, the Church with anger, heresy, misinformation. Humanity today faces the same problems as it faced in the past. The influence of the Church seems to ebb and flow; however, the message does remain the same. The nature and function of being Catholic involves a continual education process asking each one of us to listen to the Word of God, to contemplate about the Word of God, to apply the Word of God. Simply stated each Catholic is asked to constantly think about his/her belief in God and how to do God’s work. There is nothing decorative or extravagant about being Catholic. The principles of humility, charity, obedience remain very important and contain the essence of good behavior within the Church and in the society at large; all civilizations require good citizens who obey the law. It is in the Catholic mind and sensibility that the knowledge about the sacrifices, suffering of Jesus Christ is shared and remembered. This sensibility is plainly visible in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The mind can associate so much Church history and dogma with the Eucharist. Therefore, the importance of the Eucharist can never be denied; the Eucharist reminds us of God’s love for each of us, God’s hope for each of us; the Eucharist encourages us to share our hope, to share our love.

Christianity contains a natural appeal as it encourages love and hope. Believing in God always attracts attention.

Serendipity

Once upon a time a long, long time ago I went to a Catholic grade school. Between the semesters there was one special week that I used to look forward to each year. This one week was called Serendipity. It was a time when most classes were not held; it was a time of art classes, craft classes. We made pottery, papier mâché puppets, papier collé posters. It was a respite. It was a time of great enthusiasm.

As an adult the liturgy of the Eucharist provides my life with a sense of serendipity each time I attend Mass and hear the prayers recited by the priest.

As an adult I do feel unworthy, weak because of some of my thoughts and actions. I am always asking God for forgiveness.

The liturgy of the Eucharist reminds me of God’s sacrifice, of Christ’s suffering for all of us.

With a contrite heart I pray for love and mercy for everybody.

Collection

My life is a collection of ideals and disillusionments. It is a spasmodic collection of thoughts, recycled and reused. Prayers are sprawled here and there, huddled together sometimes. There are hundreds of random icy thoughts. There is a malignant promenade of good intentions. I am a solitary figure, a lonely sinner wanting to do good.

Life provides many cursory eyes to observe us; we each are both victim and victimizer with a cursory eye. Each glance that we observe, each breath that we intake changes us. Each thought, each prayer can have an effect on our behavior, on our desire.

We are often enmeshed in all types of rhetorical traps. Secular life is nothing more than an ever growing set of webs waiting for us to collide with it and be caught by the sticky strands of conceit, deceit, selfishness.

Being Catholic means believing in the living God, accepting the death and resurrection of Christ, believing that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist of the Mass.

Such a belief has to start somewhere in the heart and slowly grow. Such a belief simply is. It is a given. It is an accepted fact. It forms the basis of an identity, of understanding.

Each action I take reflects upon this central belief in Jesus Christ. Each moment I live is defined by my belief in the living Christ.

Concerning Conversion

When, then, we ask why a crime was done, we believe it not, unless it appear that there might have been some desire of obtaining some of those which we called lower goods, or a fear of losing them. - St. Augustine


Each day each living person breaks one of God’s commandments thereby sinning and moving away from God. Sometimes these sins are small, sometimes they are great. But, all sins can be described as crimes against God. Sin must be mentioned during any discussion concerning conversion, redemption, and salvation. The Holy Trinity exists and provides lessons and examples of holiness for us to imitate. True understanding of the Holy Trinity requires loving humility and a loving desire to respect and serve God; pleasure in life is not found in earthly delights but in the glory and power of the Lord. All Christians learn that both goodness and holiness are created by both actions and statements; goodness and holiness create a good life when sincerity and humility are present. The Holy Trinity reminds faithful Christians of God’s place in their hearts, minds, and souls. The Holy Trinity reminds loving Christians of God’s power and glory. The Holy Trinity reminds upright Christians of God’s forgiveness and mercy. Contrition is necessary for all Christians; repentance before God for all sins against his laws is required and necessary for good spiritual development.

The ultimate goal for all Christians is to love and serve only God. When that occurs, the highest wisdom becomes available to us, the earthly world loses it charms, and we move forward, closer to the gates of Heaven.

Further, it is easy to cull from the Gospels the salient points of Christ’s teachings on fairness, social justice and to present them in an easy to understand format. But still some of the lessons lose their force because of the current morality thought which downplays sins while raising up the scientific belief of natural behavior. Individual responsibility and free will are lost within latinate words and pompous sentences. All men are human beings. All human beings are sinners. No latinate or psychological constructions can change that basic truth. All sinners are responsible for their sins. All Christians should read the Bible and reflect upon what they have read; Christians should form their own opinions on the Word of God; this requires patience and fortitude. It is currently fashionable to question the validity of Christ, the validity of God because of the notion of the “self-made man.”

But, remember that this religion, Christianity is a religion. Remember to always keep reverence and love for this religion in your hearts. Allow it to change your ideas, teach you how to hope, love, pray. This religion asks for the passion and obedience of its believers. This religion asks for the diligence and witness of its believers. This religion asks for the humility and charity of its believers. This religion offers forgiveness, redemption, salvation. All Catholics should listen to and then learn and then affirm the Eucharist prayers. Within those words are honest yearning to be God’s humble servant while acknowledging the unworthiness of the desire because of simple fact that each person is human and all humans are sinners who need forgiveness and understanding. All Catholics have the free will and the responsibility to choose when to go to confession, when to accept Holy Communion, when to attend Mass, when to pray.

All Catholics have to navigate around all types of sin and vice in their daily lives. Modern life is often chaotic. The secular world presents many options, many temptations to distract and/or divert our affection and attention from God. This is to be expected; the Bible provides lessons on how to fortify the loving and humble heart and soul.

Patience and prayer can lead to wisdom.

A New Walk in A New Year

Today a walk along Connecticut Avenue. Rigorous weather after a the snow. A pleasant interlude in these troubled times. I am still learning about prayer, trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, but I have happily a few close friends filled with love and patience. I have wanted to go outside with the camera and photograph the landscape, to see the beauty and serenity of God’s creation. These fine trees and clouds suggest the best in natural serenity, natural law of composition. Their are moral and ethical questions to consider, the impression of life in stillness leads me toward questions about how to be more good, more holy. I hope that in time I am able to develop my fortitude and patience.

The camaraderie of Church volunteer life energizes me, but I can't explain how. There is something to be learned each time I do anything for the Cathedral. Hope, Love, and Faith are rediscovered again and again, with prayer and devotion. Right now I truly want to learn how to be a better servant of God, a better servant filled with grace and obedience.

The good-fellowship of the Mass has been replaced by a finer solidarity and a praiseworthy community of believers sharing both the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. One of the advantages of my situation is that I can, as it were, observe others in their states of goodness and holiness; how wonderful it is to see such fine inspiring behavior. All the readings and the prayers, which are important to hear and important to understand, provide both spiritual formation and inspiration. Attending Mass regularly can help us all improve both our goodness and holiness as we allow ourselves to become humble servants of the Lord. Then the great power of the Mass occurs when we allow ourselves to forget our earthly trials and tribulations and look for ways to serve God which sometimes creates a profound, feeling of brotherhood which turns all hearts towards humility, obedience, love and mercy.

Attending Mass provides me with an additional time when God is the true focal point in my mind. Each time that I walk into the Cathedral I do feel unworthy of being there; then I remember my reason for being there and I feel better. Each time I attend Mass I learn more about what God is asking me to do, how he wants me to live my life.

There must always be time for prayer. There must always be time for sacrifice. There must always be hope. There must always be love.

Faith, A Beautiful Truth

Once upon a time, there was one little downtown boy, riding in a downtown taxi. And he wanted to observe God's mercy, God's love. But something encouraged him to reflect upon forgiveness and sacrifice. And then he began a great dialogue.

He was a little anxious. He had a complicated post-modern uneasiness, small town tranquility which could be mistaken for serenity or calm. He was alert, listening to classical music, occasionally glancing at the other riders, occasionally checking the stations. And alternating between jumpy cursive and bumpy printing he began:

vocation, service, Sunday, sacrifice, fun, people, communion, help, sharing, salvation, love, serving the people, helping others, believing, believing and building, faith building, heaven, hard work, sinning is easy, salvation requires determination, forgiveness, Lord's Prayer, Twenty-Third Psalm, Follow Me, Body of Christ, Blood of Christ, eucharist, liturgy of the eucharist, liturgy of the word, sign of peace, kiss of peace, Lamb of God, prayer, blessings, welcome

Life can be different when faith is present. There is a constant dialogue in my mind reminding me of the Sacraments and encouraging me to seek goodness. Observing, praying, and working (doing God's work) can lead to wisdom.

Wisdom helps to deepen our faith, deepen our beliefs. Wisdom is impartial, judicious. Wisdom is understanding.

Certain times of the year, expressions of faith are everywhere, clearly visible. Faith can appear festive, playful. Faith can be an interruption of the normal routines and habits of our lives in this chaotic world.

True faith takes us further, takes us beyond the clearly visible, through lesser and greater moments. Faith helps to reorganize different moments like chapters in a book in a way that allows truth to become visible. Faith is friends with the past, the present, and the future and asks them the same questions. There is an urgency, immediacy in faith.

Being prostrate in body, mind, and soul is utterly acceptable and encouraged.

Everywhere the eye can see, if you look close enough, there are little hints of faith, hints of goodness, hints of belief in God.