No Exit

                Well, it’s pretty hot here on the East Coast – some might even say that it’s as hot as H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.  So I've decided to dedicate this blog entry to some thoughts about Huis Clos (No Exit), the 1944 existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre.  No Exit is a play about hell where hell consists of three people locked together for eternity in a room decorated in the style of the Second French Empire.  While only one character clings to the delusion that she doesn't belong in hell, all three are surprised with their accommodations – they expected fire, brimstone and various medieval torture devices.  By the end of the play, they’re begging for fire, brimstone and medieval torture devices.

                You see, the characters, who never knew each other in this life, realize that they've been hand-picked to spend eternity together because they make each other miserable.  Each person has certain habits or characteristics that drive another crazy, and each person wants something from another that he or she will never get.  Worse yet, each character realizes that their “being” – who they are – is defined by what other people think of them.  This conundrum prompts the most famous line of the play, “L’enfer, c’est les autres – Hell is other people.”  You may be nodding in agreement.

                But this way of thinking is unhealthy.  It’s the result of linking our self-worth and happiness to the whims or opinions of other people.  We do it all the time.  We strive to “keep up with the Joneses,” we fail to speak out against injustice for fear of being criticized or ridiculed, and we even knowingly make bad decisions to please other people.  I’m as guilty as anyone else.  I like peace at all costs – so I often won’t challenge people who are in the wrong because I don’t want them to be mad at me.  I’m also very self-conscious about my appearance; though I’m slowly accepting the fact that since I've hit middle age, time and gravity have wrested control of my appearance from my increasingly wrinkled hands.  I do still check my hair every time I pass a mirror, though.  When we base our self-worth on what we think others may think of us, we are perpetually unhappy.  We’re trapped in a world we have no control of.  There’s no exit.

                Or is there?  If we accept that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, we’ll come to understand that our dignity and self-worth are gifts that are bestowed on each of us by God.  No human being can take them away from us.  Let me repeat:  NO HUMAN BEING CAN TAKE OUR DIGNITY AND SELF-WORTH AWAY FROM US.  Our happiness, therefore, rests in our own hands.  It rests in our willingness to accept that we are loved; loved by a God who understands our weaknesses and works with them; loved by a God who needs nothing from us; and loved by a God who thinks we’re perfect just the way we are.  Accepting that God loves us for who we really are, warts and all, is extremely liberating and empowering.  Freed from the shackles of caring about other people’s opinions of us, we’re free to be the person God created us to be.  We’re free to be happy. 

Hell isn't other people.  Hell is the absence of God in our lives.  But God is always there waiting for us to return – waiting for us to be happy.  The door is open – we just have to walk through it.  

Living by the Rules

          It was the bottom of the 9^th of a women’s softball game between Western Oregon College and Central Washington University.  Central Washington was winning 2 to 0.  Western Oregon was up with 2 outs; 1 strike; and 2 on base.  The Western Oregon batter swung for the fences and hit what would've been the game-winning home run.  But as she rounded first base, she twisted her knee and was unable to continue running.  Her coach immediately sent in a substitute but the umpire stopped her, telling her that the rules required that the runner touch all of the bases with no assistance from her team mates.  Sometimes living by the rules too closely can produce a bad outcome.  Today’s Gospel teaches us how to avoid that problem.

          In today’s Gospel we hear the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus confirms Jewish teaching that love of God and love of neighbor is the key to eternal life.  As Moses tells us in our first reading, this law isn't mysterious or remote; it’s very near to us; it’s written in our hearts.  But the Jews of Jesus’ time had a lot of laws.  The Levite and the priest, “leading examples of law-observant people, do not aid the stripped and apparently dead man for fear of becoming defiled.”[1]  If they had touched a corpse, they would've been deemed ritually impure under the law, and they would've been unable to carry out their duties in the Temple.  They were simply following the law.  But the parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that following some rules too closely can produce bad results.  I think we can all agree that the Levite and priest swung and missed.

Generally speaking, people like rules.  Tell me how to be a good citizen, and I’ll do it.  Tell me the rules to get into heaven, and I’ll try my level best to follow them.  We have a lot of rules, just like the Jews of Jesus’ time did, and it’s not always easy to know which rules to follow.  Sometimes we get so hung up on following a particular rule to the letter of the law that we end up doing more harm than good – like the Levite and the priest.  “This fine-print thinking is the air that legal minds breathe.  But it is the air that suffocates Jesus.”[2]  Now I’m not here to criticize rules or doctrine.  I’m a cleric and a lawyer and I've got German blood coursing through my veins; I get rules.  We need rules to make our lives safer, healthier, more secure and more peaceful.  But these rules can’t interfere with our higher obligations.  Some rules are more important than others.

Jesus teaches us that loving God and loving our neighbor are the greatest commandments.  (Matthew 22: 36-40)  Loving God by showing mercy and compassion to our neighbor is the rule that governs all other rules; every other rule should be interpreted in light of this rule.  “To love God with all one’s heart and one’s neighbor as oneself meant then and now that one must often reject society’s rules in favor of the codes of the Kingdom.”[3]  If we follow the two greatest commandments, we will never have a bad outcome.  But we also have to remember why we have the commandments in the first place.  The commandments, the Gospels and Church doctrine are all intended to teach us the ways of the Kingdom of God –  to show us how to live the Kingdom here and now.  They’re not meant to be used as weapons to keep some people out of it.

And that brings us to the lawyer’s second question:  who is my neighbor?   Here, we learn two things:  First, “by depicting a Samaritan as the hero of the story, Jesus demolished all boundary expectations.  Social position – race, religion, or region – count for nothing.”[4]  Samaritans and Jews hated each other, but that cultural enmity didn't stop the Samaritan from showing mercy to his neighbor.  We also learn that the definition of "neighbor” doesn't look to the one who deserves to be cared for but rather to our obligation to treat everyone we encounter with compassion – no matter how frightening, alien, naked or defenseless.[5]  We become neighbors when we act with compassion to all who need it without prejudice or hesitation.

So now the challenge.  Who needs us to be their neighbors?  Who needs our compassion?  Certainly the poor, the sick and the imprisoned.  But what about others whose lifestyles or choices don’t always comply with the laws and teachings we believe in:  people with same sex attractions, people who are pro-choice, illegal immigrants.  They may feel unwelcome in light of our laws and beliefs.  But our Gospel calls us to treat them no differently than anyone else.  We don’t have to condone or support lifestyles or choices that contradict our beliefs, but we do have to extend our compassion without hesitation to the people who live those lifestyles or make those choices.  I’m certainly not a perfect Catholic, and I feel pretty welcome here.  So should they.  “To be a neighbor forces a Christian to go beyond friend and family and extend welcome and mercy to the outcast”[6] and even to someone on the opposing team.

          Two Central Washington players overheard the umpire’s strict reading of the rules and decided to follow a higher law.  So they picked up the injured Western Oregon player and carried her around the diamond helping her touch her foot to each base.  The rules said nothing about assistance from the opposing team.[7]  The compassion of the Central Washington players cost them the game but won them a much bigger prize:  they learned the true meaning of living by the rules.

Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 14, 2013

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[1] Robert J. Karris, “The Gospel According to Luke,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, Roland E. Murphy, eds (Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, 1990) at 702.

[2] John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers:  The Relentless Widow, Luke, Year C (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2006) at 196.

[3] R. Alan Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke,” New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 9 (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1995) at 232.

[4] Id. at 229

[5] Luke Timothy Johnson, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Luke, vol. 3 (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 1991) at 175.

[6] Michael F. Patella, “The Gospel According to Luke,” New Collegeville Bible Commentary, Daniel Durken, ed. (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2009) at 258.

[7] “Unbelievable Sportsmanship in Softball Game,” http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24392612/.

Old Friends

          I've been thinking a lot about friends these past few days.  It started last Saturday when we had dinner with a college friend whom we haven’t seen since our wedding day.  Yoshiko was visiting New York from Hong Kong, where she now lives, and we were so happy that she was able to make some time for us.  It was great seeing her, and it was fun catching up after too many years.  Then, two days ago, I had a dream about a friend whom I haven’t seen or heard a word from in 15 years.  I’m not superstitious, so I don’t read doom and gloom or foreshadowing into the dream.  I was just a little surprised that this friend emerged from the depths of my subconscious without an apparent trigger.  The trifecta will be complete tomorrow when we get together with my wife’s high school friend and his wife.  I've never met them, but I’m really looking forward to it.  I'm hoping to get some scoop on what my wife was like in high school!

          Friendship has taken on a new meaning today with the birth of social media.  We can “friend” just about anyone on Facebook if they let us (and some people do).  These “friendships” can be maintained by broadly cast postings that anyone and his brother can read.  I’ll be honest, that kind of friendship worries me.  It’s too easy, and too superficial.  Now, don’t get me wrong:  I’m not knocking Facebook.  It can be a great way for friends to stay connected or to reconnect.  I’m just saying that simply clicking a button on Facebook does not a real friend make.  Real friendship is founded on trust that takes years to nurture, grow and mature.  Real friends know what to say and when, and they know when it’s best not to say anything at all.  Real friends have made you laugh so hard that soda shot out of your nose.  Real friends show up when you need them before you've even had the chance to call.  “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one finds a treasure.  A faithful friend is beyond, price, no sum can balance his worth.”  (Sirach 6: 14-15)

          Real friends become old friends over time; and there’s nothing like an old friend.  Old friends have passed the test of time.  Old friends are the people who know enough about you to keep you from revealing what you know about them.  Old friends don’t make fun of what you look like in old photographs because they’re standing right there next to you in most of them.  Old friends know all of your nicknames and why you got them in the first place.  Simon & Garfunkel said it best:  “Old friends, memory brushes the same years; silently sharing the same fears.”[1]  And that’s the trick to old friendships – sharing.  Sharing the happy, the sad, the silly, the serious, the brilliant, the stupid, the ugly and the beautiful.  In short, old friends share their lives with each other. 

          I've been blessed to share my life with some great old friends.  My mother’s best friend since she was in eighth grade and her daughter have known me since the day I was born.  I have a dear friend whom I've known since fourth grade.  I’m very happy that I've stayed close with my college roommate for 25 years, even though we live on opposite coasts, and I'm even happier that his lips are sealed.  I have old friends from past jobs and from the neighborhoods I used to live in.  I even have an old friend whom I've only known for 7 years.  We've shared so many experiences together that he’s earned transfer credits in the years department.  My old friends have been my sturdy shelter.  They are . . . priceless.    

          To my old friends, well . . . you already know.  To my new friends, I look forward to becoming old friends with you.

Click here for "Old Friends" by Simon & Garfunkel

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[1] “Old Friends,” Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

God Bless America

I sought for the greatness

and genius of America

in her commodious harbors

and her ample rivers,

and it was not there.

in the fertile fields

and boundless prairies,

and it was not there;

in her rich mines

and her vast world commerce,

and it was not there.

Not until I went

into the churches of America

and heard her pulpits,

aflame with righteousness,

did I understand the secret

of her genius and power.

America is great

because she is good,

and if America ever ceases to be good,

America will cease to be great.[1]

That poem, which is attributed to the 19^th Century French historian Alexis de Tocqueville, summarizes perfectly what makes America great.  And our Gospel message suggests how it got that way.

          In our first reading we hear the familiar creation story of Genesis where “God looked upon everything he had made, and he found it very good.”  (Genesis 1: 31) And in our Gospel reading we find another familiar passage, the Beatitudes, where Jesus teaches us how to do and to be good.  Through the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us that blessedness moves the mourning toward comfort; the meek toward inheritance and the hungry and thirsty toward satisfaction.  He teaches us that blessedness overcomes negative situations and inspires us to the task of bettering our lives.  And he teaches us to confront evil by doing good.[2]

          So why do I think that the Beatitudes tell us how America became a great country?  Well, I believe that the core values upon which this country was founded reflect the teachings of the Beatitudes.   We value human dignity, peace, justice and freedom of conscience.  In short, we value doing good, and we consider ourselves blessed with the opportunity to do good.  That’s what the Beatitudes are all about.  America’s not perfect, and we haven’t always lived up to our values.  But Americans try to do good.  And when Americans try to good, we are good.

+ America is good when we embrace and support the tired, the poor and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free;

+ America is good when we honor our dead and all who have sacrificed to promote and protect the freedoms we cherish;

+ America is good when we acknowledge that all that God created was good, and it’s our job to keep it that way;

+ America is good when we promote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all;

+ America is good when we respect religious freedom, the right to live in accordance with our conscience, the right to practice the religion of our choice and the right not to practice any religion at all;

+ America is good when we promote peace and justice at home and abroad;

+ America is good when we confront evil, and when we forgive our enemies and help them live a life dedicated to doing good;

And when America is good, it is great.  And when America is good, we are truly blessed.

          Today marks the close of the Fortnight of Freedom, the two-week period during which the U.S. Bishops have encouraged us to acknowledge, celebrate and protect our most cherished liberty – freedom of religion.  Many of our parishioners have marked this period with a pledge to prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of religious freedom, and we’re grateful for your sacrifices.  Our freedom of religion has been challenged over the past few years, but I have faith that through our persistent efforts with government leaders and in the courts, freedom will prevail.  The Fortnight of Freedom and our celebration of Independence Day today remind us of how blessed we are to live in this great country.  And so I offer this familiar prayer for our country and the freedoms we cherish, a prayer that we sing openly and publicly because we enjoy religious freedom – our most cherished liberty:

Our father’s God to Thee,

Author of liberty,

To Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright,

With freedom’s holy light,

Protect us by Thy might,

Great God our King.[3]

Click here to listen to America sung by the Morman Tabernacle Choir

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[1] Alexis de Tocqueville, “America is Great Because She is Good,” reprinted in William J. Bennett, The Moral Compass (New York, Simon & Schuster, 1995) at 694-695.

[2] John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers:  On Earth as It is in Heaven, Matthew, Year A (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2004) at 70-71.

[3] America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee), lyrics by Samuel F. Smith (1831)