Now What?

I recently came across a Facebook post from a Texas man affected by Hurricane Harvey.  He was understandably upset and frustrated.  His post can be summarized as follows: “Please stop praying for us and do something.  Prayers don’t help; actions do.”  With all due respect and empathy for his situation, I beg to differ.  In fact, I think our most important prayer at times like this is, “Now what?”   

Tragedies, like Hurricane Harvey, raise a lot of questions, not the least of which is: “Why does God allow suffering?”  To be clear, God does not will or cause suffering, that would be contrary to God’s nature, but God does allow suffering to occur and continue.  “How,” we ask, “can an omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent God permit evil and suffering?"  The short answer is, we don’t really know.  While there have been many attempts to answer that question, my favorite comes from Saint Augustine: “For Almighty God . . ., because he is supremely good, would never allow any evil whatsoever to exist in his works if he were not so all-powerful and good as to cause good to emerge from evil itself.”  God in his infinite wisdom and power can make a greater good come out of any evil.  Think of it this way, when a small child has his tonsils removed, he doesn’t understand why he has to endure the pain of surgery.  However, his doctors and parents know that the short-term suffering caused by a tonsillectomy will lead to the greater good of better overall health. 

That brings us back to prayer.  We are God’s hands and feet; we are the instruments through which God can make good arise from any evil.  Prayer helps us understand God’s wisdom and fills us with God’s power.  Through prayer, we unite ourselves, our concerns and our needs with God and with each other.  In prayer, we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with God's eternal love so we can share it with others.  Prayer inspires us to do something.  So in times of tragedy, the very first thing we should do, the best thing we can do, is pray, because prayer leads us to an answer when all we can bear to ask is, “Now what?”

For those who may be looking for an answer to your “now what?” prayer, I contribute to Catholic Charities USA.  It’s a great boots-on-the-ground organization that cares for all people, regardless of religion or any other “category” you can think of, and 100% of contributions are going to those in need.  If you’re inspired to help animals, I contribute to Saint Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center.  This wonderful group took in Texas shelter dogs that were available for adoption prior to the hurricane so the Texas shelters could accommodate the animals that became homeless or displaced as a result of the hurricane, thus making it easier for owners and pets to be reunited.  The Meyers were so impressed with Saint Hubert’s, that part of the answer to our “now what?” prayer was adopting a three-month old, blind puppy re-named Homer (after the blind, Greek poet, not the bumbling cartoon character). 

That simple, two-word prayer opens our hearts to participation in God’s providential plan that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”  I think Homer would agree that our most important prayer this weekend was, “Now what?”, and I hope that the people who receive assistance from the countless volunteers and donations inspired by prayer feel the same.  

Dog Days

                I spent the past few days in the Catskills with our two dogs, Otis and Tilly.  Otis is a chocolate lab in the golden years of his life.  Tilly is a mouthy, young mixed-breed.  Otis is a strong, quiet dog who gives kisses to anyone and anything in reach of his unfurled tongue.  Tilly thinks she’s a princess, and she protests when she isn’t treated like one.  Otis and Tilly spent their days in the Catskills going on long walks, eating and sleeping.  I spent my days taking Otis and Tilly on long walks, feeding them and painting our cabin.  It seems like my days would have been better spent as dog days.

                Dogs are amazing animals.  They’ve adapted themselves over millennia to be uniquely attuned to human behavior, rightfully taking their place in the human heart as man’s best friend.  Dogs can be found side-by-side with their human partners as herders, hunters, protectors, therapists, guides and, of course, companions.  In my opinion, no domestic animal (and I’ve had them all) is as smart, loyal, loving and forgiving as canis familiaris.

                What amazes me most about dogs is their ability to live in the moment.  Dogs aren’t affected by time; they don’t fret about yesterday or worry about tomorrow.  Dogs don’t pass their days pining away for us to come home, but they’re thrilled as soon as we cross the threshold.  Dogs don’t worry about where and when their next meal will come from, but they’ll nearly knock us the floor in unbridled enthusiasm as we prepare their supper bowl.  Dogs live in the now. 

                There’s a lot to be learned from a dog’s “live in the now” kind of attitude – it’s very eternal.  Eternity is the ever-present “now” – there’s no past to fret about or future to worry about.  There’s just now.  We say that only God is eternal because only God is not bound by time; he always has been and always will be.  Now just imagine an ever-present, everlasting life of pure love, peace and happiness.  Sounds, pretty good, doesn’t it?  Well, that’s what it’s like to be God.  And out of his boundless love, God offers every one of us a share of his eternal life right now; he invites each us to live in his love, peace and happiness now and forever. 

It isn’t easy to live always in the now.  There are bills to pay, mouths to feed and futures to plan.  But God isn’t calling us to abandon these responsibilities; he’s inviting us into his eternal life of love, peace and happiness so we won’t worry about them, so we’ll let the past go and deal with the future as it comes.  “Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are not you more important than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

 

          God calls us to trust his promise that “all shall be well,” forget about yesterday, don’t sweat tomorrow and live in the now, just like dogs do.  I guess you could say that God invites us to be more dog-like, so we can become more God-like.  It seems like our days would be better spent as dog days.

Are You an Innie or an Outie?

                No, I’m not interested in your belly button – with summer fashion being what it is, that’s hardly a secret anymore.  I’m wondering whether you consider yourself to be within God’s love or outside of it.  Each of the four readings from the Lectionary this Sunday speaks of the breadth of God’s love – how it extends to all who choose his ways.  So as we contemplate these readings at Mass this weekend, we should ask ourselves:  Am I an innie or an outie?

                If we accept that God is love, that God is perfect, and that God is infinite, then we must accept that God loves us perfectly and infinitely.  He has no choice.  It’s who God is.  That means that God never stops loving us, and God doesn’t play favorites.  He loves us all equally, and if you don’t believe me, check out this week’s readings.  Isaiah, Saint Paul and Jesus himself testify to the humbling and comforting fact that God’s love isn’t restricted to a select few.  “Foreigners,” “Gentiles,” and “Canaanites” – all of us are welcomed into God’s loving embrace.  Why does our Psalm call all the nations to praise God?  Because he “rules the peoples in equity.”  Put another way, from God’s perspective, we’re all innies.   

                Nothing can separate us from God’s love – except ourselves.  God’s life-giving love is, well, umbilical, but we choose whether or not we receive it.  Think of it this way, God’s love is like the electric current coursing through the wires in our walls.  It’s always there; we just have to plug into it.  Unfortunately, we don’t always stay plugged in.  Consciously or subconsciously, in our thoughts and in our words, in what we do and what we fail to do, we disconnect ourselves from God’s love – we unplug.  Now don’t get me wrong, God doesn’t stop loving us when we unplug; we stop receiving God’s love, and then, we become outies.

     

                How do we stay plugged in?  We love.  God calls us to receive his love so that we can share it with others.  Love is active, not static.  It has to move.  We can’t receive God’s love and hang onto it.  We have to share it.  Remember, Adam’s sin was grasping at what was not his to hang onto.  And what’s the first thing he did?  He ratted out Eve  - he failed to love God and Eve - and as a result of their sin, Adam and Eve became outies.  If we want to remain in God’s infinite love, if we want to be innies, we need to take a good look at ourselves, consider everything we say, think and do and make a choice.

-          If we choose to think that someone is inferior to us, we fail to honor that person’s God-given dignity and choose to be an outie.

-          If we choose to fight hatred with hatred and violence with violence, we fail to heed God’s Commandments and choose to be an outie. 

-          If we choose to tolerate differences without compromising the truth, we live in God’s peace and choose to be an innie.

-          If we choose to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and shelter the homeless without regard to race, creed color, beliefs, past acts or omissions, we share God’s infinite love and choose to be an innie.

          It’s our choice.  Do we live in God’s love, or unplug ourselves from it?  It’s time to do a little navel gazing.  Are we an innie or an outie?

Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 67; Romans:11: 13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28.

Get Out of the Boat! - Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

When I was a senior in high school, it was all the rage to include a quote or saying under our yearbook picture.  But when the time came for me to choose my quote, I was speechless.  Imagine that.  I considered lines from favorite songs, epic movies and thought-provoking books, but nothing resonated with me.  I wanted something aspirational, something that would inspire me to do great things in the future.  But I was stumped, so I did what any smart kid would do – I asked my mother – and without missing a beat, my mother said, “You can’t walk on water if you don’t get out of the boat.”   That was it.  That was my quote; and little did I know that some thirty-plus years later, that quote would be the message of today’s Gospel.

In our Gospel, we find the disciples adrift at sea, tossed about by the wind and waves.  When they think they see a ghost approaching on the water, Jesus identifies himself, but Peter wants proof.  He tells Jesus to command him to come to Jesus on the water.  The rest is history.  Jesus says, “Come.”  Peter gets out of the boat and walks on water, that is, until his belief in Jesus was overcome by his belief in gravity. 

     

          Jesus calls every one of us to get out of the boat and come to him.  While he’s always willing to meet us wherever we are, even in our God-forsaken places, Jesus calls us to come where he is so we can reach our full potential, do great things and become all that we’re meant to be.  Think of it this way, all parents are delighted when our children begin to crawl, but we’re not satisfied; we encourage our children to walk and then to run.  It’s the same with Jesus – he’s always calling us to greater things.  Now, Jesus doesn’t call us to abandon who we are; he calls us to perfect who we are, “to allow his grace to transform our hearts in his love”[1] so we can become God-like, just as we were created to be.  Jesus didn’t call Peter to dazzle the disciples either; he called Peter “to teach them that trusting in God would carry them where they never dreamed they would go.”[2]

          Jesus calls.  So, what are we waiting for?  Well, the short answer is we’re afraid.  We’re afraid of failure, of criticism, of not fitting in.  We may even be afraid for our physical safety.  In the end, we’re afraid to live our faith openly and honestly; we’re afraid to take risks and try new things – we’re afraid to get out of the boat.  But if we call ourselves Christians, we have no excuse.  “Jesus was completely honest with people; he always urged them to see how difficult it was to follow him before they set out upon the Christian way.”[3]  Christianity isn’t a safe religion.  Jesus made that perfectly clear, and if you don’t believe me, consider the 90,000 Christians martyred last year.  But from an eternal perspective, Christianity is our safe place; it’s our hope; it’s our salvation.  So, we have to remember that “[t]he one who says, “Come!” does not abandon those who respond.”[4]  When Peter began to sink, Jesus was right there to catch him.  He’s there for us, too.  If our Gospel teaches us anything, it teaches us that Christians are called “to venture out into the full fury of life’s storm and leave our fantasies of security behind,”[5] but at the same time, to trust the words of our Psalm: “Near indeed is his salvation.”

That brings us back to our challenge.  We have no excuse.  Jesus is calling; it’s time to get out of the boat.  “Our world is in desperate need of witnesses to the possibility of living Gospel values.”[6]  

-         If you fear that our children and young adults are losing faith in the face of moral relativism, get out of the boat.  Jesus is calling you to become a catechist or a leader in our youth and young adult programs;

-         If you see growing poverty and isolation in our community, get out of the boat. Jesus is calling you to join the good works of our Knights of Columbus, our home-bound, social concerns, nursing home or prison ministries.

-         If you mourn a broken relationship, get out of the boat. Jesus is calling you to make the first move and reconcile with your lost brother or sister.

-         If you’re sick and tired of hatred and violence like I am, let’s get out of the boat together!   Jesus is calling us to model love and peace in all that we say and do, and post online.

Whether it be in the tiny whispering sound that Elijah heard on Mount Horeb, in the anguish Saint Paul felt in his conscience, in a powerful homily delivered by a handsome deacon, or in any other way that God chooses to communicate with us, Jesus is calling each one of us to break out of our comfort zones and bear witness to him to the world.

          As I look back on my life since high school, that little quote has served me well.  I’ve been to places I never imagined I would go; I’ve done things I never thought I would do; and I’ve met incredible people from all walks of life I never presumed I would meet.   I hope that, along the way, I’ve answered Jesus’ call every once in a while, too, though you may be wishing that I had just stayed in the boat.  Jesus is calling every one of us to bear witness to him to the world in our own unique ways.  He may not be calling us to walk on water, but he’s definitely calling us to get out of the boat.

Readings:  1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a; Psalm 85; Romans 9: 1-5; Matthew 14: 22-33

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[1] Jude Winkler, New St. Joseph Handbook for Proclaimers of the Word, Liturgical Year A, 2017 (New Jersey, Catholic Book Publishing, 2016) at 285.

[2]  Mary McGlone, “Walk Like the Master,” National Catholic Reporter, vol. 53, no. 21 (July 28-August 10, 2017) at 19.

[3] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 2 (Louisville, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) at 125.

[4] 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 250.

[5] Michael Simone, “Tune Out the Noise,” America, vol. 217, no. 3 (August 7, 2017) at 50.

[6] McGlone.

A Prayer for Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Forever

I was blessed today to officiate at the wedding of my cousin and his lovely bride.  Here's the homily I gave.  God bless Amy and Michael!

           In a 2012 study published in Psychology Today, Dr. Shauna Springer found that couples with the most successful marriages had dated an average of 3.6 years before they got married.  As one study participant commented, “What’s the rush? If two people really love each other and are committed, why not wait a few years to get married?  Plus, you can afford a better wedding and honeymoon.”[1]  Now, Amy and Mike, if we do the math, well, if Amy and I do the math, your marriage should last something like . . . forever!  Numbers aside, I do believe that your marriage will last forever, and the readings you’ve chosen for us today explain why.

          In our first reading, Tobiah and Sarah pray on their wedding night for a long and happy life together.  In our second reading, Saint Paul offers five virtues that are essential to a harmonious marriage:  compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  But above all, Saint Paul calls us to “put on love,” because love is the precursor to each of these virtues. 

             God created us to love.  We’re called, chosen and sent out into the world to love.  To remain in Christ’s love, as Jesus commands in our Gospel, we have to love each other as Jesus loves us.  “Love is the golden thread that binds Jesus, his followers, and the Father, who is love itself.”[2]  As Pope Benedict so beautifully explained, “we could not love if we were not first loved by God.  God’s grace always precedes us, embraces us and carries us.”[3]  And God’s love is eternal – it has no beginning and no end.  It lasts forever.  So “[j]ust as God's love is stable and lasts forever, we want the love on which a family is based to be stable and to last forever.”[4]  So, for your marriage to last forever, you have to remain in God’s love forever.

Of course, every marriage faces its challenges, and love is what will get you through them.  In the words of the bard, “Love comforts like sunshine after rain.”[5]  So Mike, love will get you through the times when Amy may not be as patient as you might hope she would be.  And Amy, love, only love, will give you the strength to forgive Mike if he ever again makes you miss a plane because he had to stop for ice cream, or if he ever again accidentally shoots you in the leg with a bottle rocket.  The more you entrust your marriage to God, the more your love will be 'forever', able to face every challenge and overcome every difficulty.

          I’ve known Mike since he was a little squirt begging for his Grandma’s meatballs, and Amy for more than 3.6 years of their courtship.  But I’ve been blessed to come to know both of you much better through marriage preparation.  I’ve learned that Mike loves spreadsheets and that he rarely gives a simple answer to simple questions like, “What’s your full name?” or “Where were you born?”  I really started to question that whole “Thirty Under Thirty” thing.  I thought it might be referring to his IQ.  I’ve also learned that Amy and Mike love to eat and hike together, they’re skilled moose chasers, and they both have an odd relationship with their microwave ovens – Amy uses hers to sterilize sponges; and Mike uses his to warm his chilly pet fish.  You’d think that two people who love to eat would figure out that a microwave is for warming food.  Most importantly though, I’ve learned that you love each other very much.  I’ve seen your love in the way you look at each other for reassurance; I’ve seen your love in your willingness to compromise and accommodate each other; and I’ve especially seen your love in your most patient forbearance of the Church bureaucracy leading up to this most special day.  I’ve seen in you both the kind of love that lasts forever, and that’s why I believe that your marriage will last forever.      

          You know, I have to agree, when you love each other and you’re committed, what’s the rush?  As Nathan Detroit from Guys and Dolls said about his fourteen-year engagement to Adelaide, “Gettin’ married ain’t something you can just jump into like it’s a kettle of fish.”  Amy and Mike, we’re all so happy that you’ve decided to take the plunge, and I join your family and friends in praying that you have a long, happy life together – a life rooted in the only love that will always precede you, embrace you and carry you forever:  God’s love.

Readings:  Tobit 8: 4b-8; Psalm 145; Colossians 3: 12-17; John 15: 9-12

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[1] Shauna H. Springer, “Key Factors that Impact Your Odds of Marital Success,” Psychology Today, June 12, 2013, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-joint-adventures-well-educated-couples/201206/key-factors-impact-your-odds-marital-success (accessed August 30, 2017).

[2] Scott M. Lewis, “The Gospel According to John,” New Collegeville Bible Commentary – New Testament, Daniel Durkin, ed. (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2009) at 350.

[3] Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth:  The Infancy Narratives (New York, Image, 2012) at 76.

[4] Pope Francis, Valentine’s Day Address, February 14, 2014.

[5] William Shakespeare, Venus and Adonis (1593).

Wabi Sabi

Kutaniyaki Bowl.
Photo by Caitlin Meyer 2017

                I’ll bet that title caught your attention.  Allow me to explain.  While sipping tea this morning, I realized that 30 years ago this month, my college roommate and I set out for intensive language studies in Kanazawa Japan.  Kanazawa is a small city of about 450,000 people on Japan’s western coast.  Among other things, Kanazawa is known for Kutaniyaki, vividly-glazed porcelainware, and Kaga Yūzen, beautifully-painted silk that’s hand washed in the clear waters of Kanazawa’s Asano River.  As part of our study program, we visited local craftsmen to watch them create these beautiful works of art.  That’s where I learned about wabi sabi.

                Wabi sabi (侘寂) is a concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics centered on the wisdom and beauty of imperfection.  Artists express wabi sabi through asymmetry, roughness, and simplicity, often intentionally disfiguring their work before completion to emphasize the beauty of life’s imperfections.  In a world obsessed with perfection, wabi sabi is a refreshing and humbling reminder that perfection can only be found in God.

                God is infinite perfection and blessed in himself.  To say that God is perfect means that the attributes that God possesses are held to a degree that’s impossible to exceed.  Think about it this way, we understand from our world that there’s a hierarchy of qualities – objects can have qualities to a greater or lesser degree.  Water can be hot, hotter or hottest, for example.  As we ascend this hierarchy of qualities, we ultimately must come to something that is the greatest – “that than which nothing greater can be conceived,” to borrow Saint Anselm of Canterbury’s words.  That “something,” that “that,” is God.  So, if we understand God as the supreme being, the pinnacle of all being, then God must be perfect.  If God were anything less than perfect, he wouldn’t be God.

Have you ever wondered why human beings understand and strive for perfection when we’ve never actually seen it?   It’s because the desire for God is written in the human heart, whether we realize it or not.  God never ceases to call us to himself, so we yearn for the perfection that is God.  Our problem is that we seek perfection elsewhere.  We strive for the perfect body, the perfect spouse, the perfect vacation, and even the perfect martini, but we’re always left dissatisfied because perfection can only be found in God.

          In this misplaced quest for perfection, we designate as flaws those characteristics that do not fit our distorted concept of perfection.  Perhaps it’s the birthmark on our left knee, a crooked nose, or our spouse’s window-rattling snore; maybe it rained all vacation, or the kids cried for the entire car ride; or maybe even, heaven forfend, the martini was stirred, not shaken.  When we strive for perfection outside of God, we disregard the God-given beauty of all things; we fail to understand that perfection itself created us and loves us just as we are; we fail to find wabi sabi – the wisdom and beauty of imperfection.

          Life is a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty series of choices.  We can live life appreciating its beauty, or bemoaning its flaws.  It’s our choice.  Nothing in this world is perfect, only God is perfect; but everything is beautiful because it reflects its creator, the source of all that is good and true and beautiful, in its own unique way – even in its imperfection.