Greetings,
Since I have been unable to maintain this site, I want to offer a link to Loyola Press' Ignatian Spirituality Website, a great online Lent Retreat. Give it a try!
http://ignatianspirituality.com/lent/seven-weeks-for-the-soul-ash-wednesday/
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Kingdom of God
In the Gospel of the day, Jesus begins his public ministry proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near at hand...
Mk 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
If I am not mistaken, there is a profound connection between Jesus' experience at his baptism, where he is claimed by the Father as the beloved son, and the meaning of what he calls the Kingdom of God. Imagine the way you feel when you are told that you are loved by someone for whom you have deep regard, respect, and affection. There is a sense of feeling like all is right with the world, that you want to live worthily and be generous in response to that love-- not only in the relationship with that one person, but with everyone. Isn't there a sense when we are in touch with that kind of love that everything else in our lives becomes relative, so that our lives are no longer driven so much by our desire for material security, success, or prestige, but rather, we desire to live in the service of that love.
Perhaps I am pushing this a bit and may sound overly idealistic, however, I hope that when you take deep stock of the importance of the love relationships in your life, and the impact that loves makes on you, that you know what I am talking about. I believe that for Jesus, the experience of his Father's love is all this and more, and that he wants to invite all of us to experience the same love in a direct manner.
This is where the call to repentance comes in...because so long as we live our lives in a pursuit of anything else, we will miss the entrance to the Kingdom that lies before us. We need to let go of the attachments that we base our sense of identity and value upon, and rediscover the true identity of Christ within ourselves-- as God's beloveds.
Mk 1:14-20
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
If I am not mistaken, there is a profound connection between Jesus' experience at his baptism, where he is claimed by the Father as the beloved son, and the meaning of what he calls the Kingdom of God. Imagine the way you feel when you are told that you are loved by someone for whom you have deep regard, respect, and affection. There is a sense of feeling like all is right with the world, that you want to live worthily and be generous in response to that love-- not only in the relationship with that one person, but with everyone. Isn't there a sense when we are in touch with that kind of love that everything else in our lives becomes relative, so that our lives are no longer driven so much by our desire for material security, success, or prestige, but rather, we desire to live in the service of that love.
Perhaps I am pushing this a bit and may sound overly idealistic, however, I hope that when you take deep stock of the importance of the love relationships in your life, and the impact that loves makes on you, that you know what I am talking about. I believe that for Jesus, the experience of his Father's love is all this and more, and that he wants to invite all of us to experience the same love in a direct manner.
This is where the call to repentance comes in...because so long as we live our lives in a pursuit of anything else, we will miss the entrance to the Kingdom that lies before us. We need to let go of the attachments that we base our sense of identity and value upon, and rediscover the true identity of Christ within ourselves-- as God's beloveds.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Baptism of the Lord
First things first: it has been far too long since I offered a reflection here, and for the better part of Advent, I wondered whether I would be able to sustain this blog as a regular commitment. Sadly, just as the church calendar calls us into a more quiet, reflective stance as we prepare for Christmas, the academic year goes into overdrive making December very, very hectic. But I missed this as a spiritual practice in that the work of crystalizing and expressing reflections based on the liturgical readings, or other seasonal texts, is a sort of soul sustenance for me. It also helps me to stay honest about my prayer, and remain rooted in the liturgical cycle, as well as the wider world of the church. So, apologies to you if by any chance you count on such things for your spiritual life too! While I do intend to occasionally include postings on other topics, especially leadership, I am going to make a concerted effort to keep up with the spiritual themes.
Today as you may know is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and unlike the rest of the secular materialist world, which was ready for the end of the Christmas on the 26th of December, whereupon it began to focus on New Year's Eve, for the Church today is the actually the official conclusion of the Christmas season.
Our gospel reading from Luke struck me today. I enclose it below and will offer a brief reflection...
Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”
There are really a number of things that struck me today as I meditated on this reading. First, I don't know that I ever noticed that in Luke's version, it is after Jesus has been baptized by John and while he is in prayer that he has the experience of the Holy Spirit coming upon him, and that he hears this profound, divine affirmation that he is God's beloved one. In Luke's gospel, Jesus is portrayed praying at key moments, usually by himself in a quiet and remote place. Here, he must have been on the bank of the river Jordan, perhaps near the crowd of people that gathered to hear John's preaching and to be baptized. I can only speculate, but this event must have had unique and momentous importance in the life of Jesus. It is described as occurring on the threshold of his "hidden life," the period of time between his birth and his late twenties or early thirties, and his "public life" of itinerant preaching, miracle work, and teaching. While other people came to John for a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of their sins and as a way of beginning to reform their lives in anticipation of the messiah, for Jesus, whatever his intentions might have been, he experienced the baptism as "theophany," a revelation of God, and specifically, as an experience of being chosen, blessed, and soon, being sent by his Father. And perhaps, most importantly, the chief quality of his experience of his Father is not fear, but of being loved... literally, that he is beloved by the Father.
I know that all this might seem very obvious, but I think that the emphasis on God's love as the foundation of who Jesus is and everything he does is essential. Whereas John the Baptist's preaching is foreboding, even angry, and suggests that God is waiting with fiery judgment for those who stray from the law, this is not Jesus' experience. In fact, though he does condemn recalcitrant sinners who refuse to change, Jesus goes out of his way to demonstrate that God's love is overflowing and abundant, available to all who turn their hearts to God's ways. Strangely though, I think that many church's, the Catholic Church included, tend at times to embrace John the Baptist's God, rather than the the Loving Father of Jesus. For some reason, people are drawn to a God who thinks and judges in black and white terms, rather than the Father who lovingly cherishes sinners even before they repent.
May we all come to know the Loving Father of Jesus and ourselves as his Beloved Ones.
Today as you may know is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and unlike the rest of the secular materialist world, which was ready for the end of the Christmas on the 26th of December, whereupon it began to focus on New Year's Eve, for the Church today is the actually the official conclusion of the Christmas season.
Our gospel reading from Luke struck me today. I enclose it below and will offer a brief reflection...
Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”
There are really a number of things that struck me today as I meditated on this reading. First, I don't know that I ever noticed that in Luke's version, it is after Jesus has been baptized by John and while he is in prayer that he has the experience of the Holy Spirit coming upon him, and that he hears this profound, divine affirmation that he is God's beloved one. In Luke's gospel, Jesus is portrayed praying at key moments, usually by himself in a quiet and remote place. Here, he must have been on the bank of the river Jordan, perhaps near the crowd of people that gathered to hear John's preaching and to be baptized. I can only speculate, but this event must have had unique and momentous importance in the life of Jesus. It is described as occurring on the threshold of his "hidden life," the period of time between his birth and his late twenties or early thirties, and his "public life" of itinerant preaching, miracle work, and teaching. While other people came to John for a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of their sins and as a way of beginning to reform their lives in anticipation of the messiah, for Jesus, whatever his intentions might have been, he experienced the baptism as "theophany," a revelation of God, and specifically, as an experience of being chosen, blessed, and soon, being sent by his Father. And perhaps, most importantly, the chief quality of his experience of his Father is not fear, but of being loved... literally, that he is beloved by the Father.
I know that all this might seem very obvious, but I think that the emphasis on God's love as the foundation of who Jesus is and everything he does is essential. Whereas John the Baptist's preaching is foreboding, even angry, and suggests that God is waiting with fiery judgment for those who stray from the law, this is not Jesus' experience. In fact, though he does condemn recalcitrant sinners who refuse to change, Jesus goes out of his way to demonstrate that God's love is overflowing and abundant, available to all who turn their hearts to God's ways. Strangely though, I think that many church's, the Catholic Church included, tend at times to embrace John the Baptist's God, rather than the the Loving Father of Jesus. For some reason, people are drawn to a God who thinks and judges in black and white terms, rather than the Father who lovingly cherishes sinners even before they repent.
May we all come to know the Loving Father of Jesus and ourselves as his Beloved Ones.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A New Year's Blessing from a Fellow Jesuit
A New Year Blessing
During our Advent preparation for Christmas we sought God’s aid that we grow in the hope that God’s promises to us would be fulfilled. Now in the flush of enthusiasm for this New Year, 2010, we seek God’s assistance to be close to us on the road of these fresh adventures in faith:
Lord God, help us now to realize more deeply that you are not far off, but near, that you speak to us in our own tongue, that you touch us through the hand of men and women like ourselves.
You have called us your own, your chosen ones, and we place our trust in your word.
Stay with us and give us your peace. May we never be afraid.
We pray for people of all ages, for all who young and old belong to each other and go through life together, that we may care for and respect each other.
We pray for all children, for all among us who are defenseless and small--that nothing may harm them,that we may lead them to know the truth.
We pray for our young people whose lives lie ahead of them, that we may go forward with open and receptive minds to meet their future, that they may learn to accept themselves and not lose heart, that they may respect the past, be faithful to their friends and unselfish in love, ready to make this world a better place to live in.
We pray for those in the prime of life, that their lives may be fruitful and seek the welfare of others.
We pray for the elderly, that they may stay young in heart and put their experience to good use in the service of others.
We pray for ourselves that young or old we may constantly be made new by your grace, Lord our God.
We place these requests before you knowing that you will hear us.
We pray for peace and truth, that your will be done at all times in us, from day to day through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Fr. David Casey, S.J., Chaplain to the Alumni
During our Advent preparation for Christmas we sought God’s aid that we grow in the hope that God’s promises to us would be fulfilled. Now in the flush of enthusiasm for this New Year, 2010, we seek God’s assistance to be close to us on the road of these fresh adventures in faith:
Lord God, help us now to realize more deeply that you are not far off, but near, that you speak to us in our own tongue, that you touch us through the hand of men and women like ourselves.
You have called us your own, your chosen ones, and we place our trust in your word.
Stay with us and give us your peace. May we never be afraid.
We pray for people of all ages, for all who young and old belong to each other and go through life together, that we may care for and respect each other.
We pray for all children, for all among us who are defenseless and small--that nothing may harm them,that we may lead them to know the truth.
We pray for our young people whose lives lie ahead of them, that we may go forward with open and receptive minds to meet their future, that they may learn to accept themselves and not lose heart, that they may respect the past, be faithful to their friends and unselfish in love, ready to make this world a better place to live in.
We pray for those in the prime of life, that their lives may be fruitful and seek the welfare of others.
We pray for the elderly, that they may stay young in heart and put their experience to good use in the service of others.
We pray for ourselves that young or old we may constantly be made new by your grace, Lord our God.
We place these requests before you knowing that you will hear us.
We pray for peace and truth, that your will be done at all times in us, from day to day through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Fr. David Casey, S.J., Chaplain to the Alumni
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