God Chooses Hobbits

Fourth Sunday of Advent

            I have now seen “The Hobbit” two times since it’s release on Friday.  While there have been a number of criticisms, I found myself enjoying the movie and its presentation of the classic book by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Certainly some license was taken; that always happens with movies.

            At one point, as the dwarves are discussing the drawbacks to having a burglar who has never burgled before, Gandalf mentions that Smaug, the evil dragon, will not recognize the smell of a Hobbit like he will of a dwarf.  Plus, Gandalf mentions, the Hobbit is small and will not attract much attention. 

            Now, it’s no secret that Tolkien was a Catholic.  He was a very devout Catholic.  And he permeated his writing with a Catholic worldview and Catholic theology.  I don’t know if he meant to compare Gandalf with God (in fact, I think scholars relate the wizards more to archangels), but we see in our readings today that God also uses the small to accomplish his work, those who will not attract much attention.

            Our first reading mentions the smallness of the city of Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah.  It is too small to “be among the clans of Judah,” and yet “from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.”  God doesn’t choose the large city of Jerusalem to bring forth the Messiah, but the little town of Bethlehem.

            And in choosing Mary to be the Mother of God, it is not a famous personage, or a grand queen in the secular sense, but a quiet, humble maiden in a small, quiet town.  And in the Gospel passage today where we hear about the Visitation of the Blessed Mother to her cousin Elizabeth, it is two, small people, not noticed by the world, who recognize the coming, the Advent, of the Messiah.  In fact, even the littlest one, St. John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, leaps for joy in the presence of the God whom John will later point out as the Lamb of God.

            How much does our society tell us that we shouldn’t be small and unnoticed.  We have TV shows whose aim it is to take people from being unknown to being stars of music.  YouTube is full of people, including, sadly, children, who do stupid stuff just to get their 15 minutes of fame.  So many of us desire to be “big time.”  We want to be famous and well known.  The more Facebook friends or followers on Twitter we have, the better.

            In the midst of this, God doesn’t say that it’s wrong to be well known.  But He wants to make us well known, rather than us try to slingshot our way into notoriety.  Bethlehem wasn’t waging a campaign like, “Who Wants to be the City of the Messiah.”  Mary did not try to posture so that she could be the one that God chose as the Mother of the Messiah.  It was all about simply doing the will of God, and letting God make them known.

            In fact, Mary knows that she will be very well known.  After this passage, she prays the words that the Church has echoed down throughout the ages: “From this day all generations will call me blessed.”  But why will Mary be blessed?  Because “the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name.”  God is the agent of Mary’s blessing and notoriety.  And the same has happened with so many of the saints.

            Look at our first pope, St. Peter: I’m quite sure that, sitting in his boat on the Sea of Galilee, he wasn’t dreaming of leading the disciples of the Messiah and being the one to speak for Christ in a unique way.  Or St. Augustine of Hippo in the 5^th Century: as a believer in two powers, one of good, one of evil, in his youth, the last thing he had on his mind was being one of the most prolific theologians the Catholic Church has ever seen.  Or St. Thomas Aquinas: in writing his Summary of Theology for beginners, his Summa Theologiae, he probably never dreamed that a later pope would require his teaching to be part of the curriculum in Catholic seminaries.  Or St. Kateri Tekakwitha: as she was exiled from her New York village of Native Americans because she had embraced the Catholic faith, she probably never dreamed that centuries later she would be added to the list of saints who called America their home.  Or Bl. Teresa of Calcutta: I’m sure that as she was picking up dying people with rotting bodies in India she did not anticipate the fame she would have while still alive, let alone after her death.  Or even those still working on being saints, like Pope Benedict XVI, or Timothy Cardinal Dolan or Francis Cardinal George: in the small towns in which they grew up, I’m willing to bet that none of them dreamed of having the large responsibility in governing the Church that God has given them today. 

            It is not for us to work on being famous, or being well known.  We are called to be faithful to God and serve Him by serving His People with the gifts and talents that God has given to us.  If we do that, then we will be known by the only Persons who really matter: the Persons of the Blessed Trinity.  And if God recognizes us because we have configured our life to the image of His Son, then we will join the ranks of the truly famous, the lives truly worth celebrating, the lives of the saints.  

The Best Things

Second Sunday of Advent

            From time to time, surfing through the channels on the TV, I’ll see a worship service for a mega-church, or a televangelist ministry.  Most times I skip over them, but every once in a while I stop and listen to what is being said.  Because we share faith in Jesus Christ, a lot of what is said is very familiar and is consistent with what the Church teaches.  However, there are some that preach what’s called the “Gospel of Prosperity,” that is, if you tithe 10% of your adjusted gross income, and you come to Church, and you do all these different things, you’ll never have to worry about money, a house, family problems, etc.  It’s easy to see why people are drawn to that message: who wouldn’t want all the good things that this earth has to offer?  But often, those who are truly striving to live out their faith do have to struggle with a lot of issues, whether of money, or health, or family.  Our view, then, as Catholics, is not quite the same as those who preach the Gospel of Prosperity.

            However, the Word of God tells us today, and we certainly believe, that God wants the best for us.  God doesn’t just want a mediocre life for us, floating along with some good stuff, and some bad stuff.  God wants the best for us.  But God’s beneficence, His over-flowing goodness, is not limited to the things of this earth.  In fact, the things of this world often get in the way of truly drawing closer to God, though this is not always the case.

            Today in our first reading, the Prophet Baruch proclaims to us that God wants to do us good!  He wants us to take off our robes of mourning and misery, and put on the garment of rejoicing, the cloak of justice.  God wants the best for us, and He is going to make that best thing possible.  He is going to level the mountains for us so that we don’t have to climb, and he’s going to fill in the valleys for us so that the way is not hard.  He will lead us in joy “by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice.”  Where is this path leading us, this level path?  This path is the path to the best things in life, which is not a thing at all, but a Person, a Communion of Persons, a Trinity of Persons, God Himself.  The best of all is God, and He wants to give us Himself.  That is why we pray and wait during this Advent season, to recall the moment when we could see the face of God in Jesus, and to get ready for that time when Jesus will come again, not as a little baby, but in all His glory in majesty.

            But, because we have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, as St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, we need guides.  Sometimes we can see the path and we’re ready to start walking.  Other times we lose sight of where we should be going, and we need a person to show us the way.  That’s where our Gospel comes in.

            St. Luke tells us about the ultimate trail guide of all time, St. John the Baptist.  He came to prepare the way of the Lord.  He came to show the straight path, to announce that the valleys have been filled in and the mountains have been made low, and the rough ways have been made smooth so that all people can see the salvation of God.  He’s there to point out the way, to announce it, and to prepare people to make that journey to true prosperity with God, the prosperity, the blessedness, of the saints.  St. John the Baptist preaches repentance, the way to see the path, to recognize Jesus who is Himself the Way.  He is the one who points to Jesus, when He comes, and says, “Behold the Lamb of God!  Behold him who takes away the sins of the world!”  Because of this, Jesus says of him that of those born from women, there is none greater than John the Baptist.

            And yet, Jesus also says that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than St. John the Baptist.  How can this be?  How can we be greater than the Precursor of the Lord?  Well, we, too, are called to point out the Lamb of God.  We, too, are called to help others find that path to true blessedness, the path that leads to God.  Under the guidance of Holy Mother Church, who tenderly and firmly helps us to understand what God has revealed through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to point out to others the way to true happiness.  Sometimes it happens by correction, or advice to avoid this or do that, whether it be with a family member, a co-worker, a friend, or whomever.  Other times it is simply by the joy and peace that we display as we conform our lives, not to this age and its opinions, but to the enduring Word of God, which is the same yesterday, today, and forever, even as it is applied in new ways to ever-changing circumstances.  We, like St. John the Baptist and (dare I say) the Blues Brothers, are on a mission from God, to help others find that straight, level path to God.

            Sometimes it will mean prosperity for us.  There are certainly many people to whom God gives many blessings, and invites them to share those blessings with others.  Other times, those closest to God are the ones who suffer the most, like Job, the apostles, the saints who were martyred, saints who put up with great trials like St. Kateri, St. Damien of Molokai, Bl. Teresa of Calcutta.  Some people very easily understand the loving and cheeky words of St. Teresa of Avila, “Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!”  But, whether, by the standards of this world, we are blessed or cursed, what truly matters is that we are prospering in drawing closer to God and following His will in all things, so that we can follow along the straight and level path to God, which will give us the desire of every heart, and the best thing that there is: communion with the Blessed Trinity itself.

Kenny Chesney & the Rich Young Man

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

            This may come as a surprise to some of you, but I’m a fan of country music.  Others may have noticed my cowboy boots and country hat that I have worn.  One of the popular country stars in these days is Kenny Chesney.  He has such hits as “Boys of Fall,” “You and Tequila,” and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”  Lesser known is his song, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven.”  The words of the refrain are: “Everybody wants to go to heaven/ Have a mansion high above the clouds/ Everybody wants to go to heaven/ but nobody wants to go now.” 

            Today’s readings also focus us on what our priorities are: are they earthly or are they heavenly?  In the first reading, the Sacred Author, traditionally regarded as King Solomon, says that he prayed for prudence and wisdom, and he received it.  He wanted it more than “scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did [he] liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.”  He didn’t care about good health and being attractive, and even about sleep.  Solomon here is not just talking about being book smart or street smart, but is talking about the wisdom from above, the wisdom from God so that Solomon could know what is important, and what is less or unimportant.  But, even though Solomon talks about only wanting the wisdom of God, he also says, “Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.”  Having the wisdom of God did not deny Solomon the good things, but, instead, brought the truly good things to him.

            Jesus, in the Gospel, talks about obstacles to heaven, as seen in the Rich Young Man.  The man had kept all of the commandments, and so Jesus told him that he lacked just one thing: “‘Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’”  But the man couldn’t bring himself to make that radical step.  The Word of God, Jesus Christ the Divine Word, was sharper than any sword for that man, penetrated between soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and was able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart, and that Rich Young Man’s heart loved his possessions more than he loved Jesus.  Now, to be clear, Jesus did not condemn wealth.  But, Jesus did condemn making wealth a god, and preferring it to following Him.  He also warned how easy it is for riches to become an obstacle to salvation, going so far as to say, “‘It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’”  Money so easily becomes a god unto itself which beckons like a siren to be loved and treasured above all else, and to try and make more and more and more.

            Now, money isn’t an obstacle for all people.  It’s so easy to place other lesser goods between us and the Lord, so that the demand isn’t so great.  We could prefer status to Jesus; or vacation; or power; or prestige; or even just our own will.  Each of those things, and so many more, can be things that we feel we cannot let go, even if the Lord is calling us to abandon them in order to follow Him more deeply.  Our relationship with Jesus, truly knowing Him and loving Him, has to be first, with no excuses why anything else is more important.  If today Jesus appeared right in your midst, in His glorified body, and said to you, “You can spend two hours with me here, or I will give you the winning Powerball numbers so you can win $50 million dollars,” what would we say?  I know what I should say.  And maybe you’re like me, and want to immediately rationalize what we could do with $50 million dollars.  But the only right answer is Jesus.  And even if money isn’t your temptation, it could be good grades, a good job, a nice vacation getaway, or, again, maybe just having your own way.  But, the key is, what comes first for us?

            What’s interesting is that the choice isn’t: follow Jesus and be miserable, or follow whatever little god is important to you and have pleasure.  After St. Peter tells Jesus, “‘We have given up everything and followed you,’” Jesus replies, “‘there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age…and eternal life in the age to come.’”  Now, Jesus is also clear that with following Him comes persecution.   But you also receive a lot more, even in this age, not to mention eternal life and happiness with God.  Bl. Teresa of Calcutta attests to that; she preferred nothing to Jesus.  And even though she didn’t even own the sari on her back and went through intense spiritual darkness, she was truly happy.  Venerable Solanus Casey is another good example.  He was ordained a priest, but he was not allowed to hear confessions or preach sermons.  Most of his work was opening doors to the monastery, and serving the poor.  Yet I dare you to find a happier man, who also brought such joy to those he met. 

            Nothing is more important than our relationship with Jesus.  Nothing even comes close to its worth.  The Lord asks each of us today: what is an obstacle to our relationship?  What keeps us from drawing close to Him?  “‘Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.’”

Space Mountain and Faith

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

            The first roller coaster on which I rode, at least that I can remember, was Space Mountain in Disney World.  And I remember being a bit nervous.  My parents had warned me about how fast it was, but it seemed like a rite of passage to actually go on the ride, now that I was tall enough, and brave the giant monster.

            What I hated the most, though, was that the roller coaster was in the dark, and not knowing where I was going.  Once I got on the ride, I was looking ahead to try to see the little lights that lined the rails of the coaster, in order not to be surprised by where the ride as taking a dip, or making a sharp turn.  I wanted to know exactly what was ahead.

            Today, our second reading and Gospel focused on faith.  Faith is a gift from God whereby we believe things that we cannot see, or, as the Letter to the Hebrews states, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  But the frustrating part can be that growing in faith is really growing in darkness, as a wise Archabbot once told me while I was on retreat.  If faith is the evidence of things unseen, then the more we grow in faith, the less we see. 

            This can be hard for us, because we like to know where we are going.  We like safety.  We tend not to like surprises, especially when it comes to major life events.  We would rather be in control, or at least be able to the see the tracks of the rollercoaster of life, rather than going up and down and sideways in the dark.

            But our confidence, and the reason we have faith, comes from the one in whom we place our trust and faith.  If we place our faith in God, then we can be at ease, because, as Jesus said in our Gospel today, “‘Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.’”  No matter how high we may rise, or how low we may fall, or how much we get tossed from side to side, the Father is always there with us, loving us, and helping us to grow closer to him.

            But faith can be hard.  It can be hard, especially for those of us who are Type A personalities, who like to be in control of everything, rather than to let God be the Master of our life.  Sometimes our life can be like the disciples being tossed around in the boat in the middle of the sea, and it seems like Jesus is sleeping.  At those moments we cry out like the disciples, “Master, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?”  But Jesus is with us, and so we’re not going to sink or drown.  He has control of everything and is helping us to grow closer to Him by giving us opportunities to put more faith in Him.

            Of course, it still is not easy.  And it’s especially not easy in our own very skeptical age.  We can be like the Doubting Thomas who refuses to believe without proof.  We are so used to proving things by science, that we can start to think that if we can’t prove it, then it’s not real; if I can’t feel it, then it doesn’t really matter.  And yet, it is at these times that we most need faith. 

            Look at Abraham.  By faith he left modern-day Iraq and took his whole family to follow God, who called him to go to the land of Canaan.  And then he had faith in God who promised that He would multiply Abraham’s offspring like the stars in the sky, even though Sarah was sterile.  And then he had faith in God when, even with the promise God had made, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, his beloved Isaac, because Abraham had faith that if God could raise up a son from parents who were as good as dead, then he could certainly create a great nation even without Isaac.

Or look at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.  As it turns out, from the time she founded her order until the day she died, she was called to have a great deal of faith, because God rarely seemed or felt close to her.  But, she had faith that the same Jesus who had called her to quench His thirst by serving the poorest of the poor would not abandon her or the order she founded.  And how was she rewarded for her faith?  The same way Abraham was: “[they] acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth” and so they were prepared for heaven, their true home, by trusting in God, even in the toughest times.

The fact is that the closer we get to God, the more we have to put our trust in Him, and trust less in our own visions and plans.  We can’t be so concerned with seeing the tracks ahead of us, but must trust that, even in the darkness when God seems the farthest away, He is still quite near, and is giving us the grace, His inner life, to help us to grow so that we can accept His gift of salvation.  In the times when there is a sharp turn in life, we must trust that God is our safety and security, and the closer we cling to Him in prayer, the safer and more secure we will be.  Let our prayer be the prayer of St. Faustina, who communicated to us the great devotion of Divine Mercy: “Jesus, I trust in you.  Jesus I trust in you.  Jesus I trust in you.”