Last night, after the last college shooting in Oregon, many of us listened intently as our President reflected on the state of humanity in our country. He said that we have become numb, he has become numb, to having to address the nation as we mourn yet another tragedy like this one. He is correct. Then he said “our thoughts and prayers are not enough”. I know what he meant…..it is true that we must follow our prayers with action. However, I wonder what would happen if he turned that phrase around? What if he said that our thoughts and prayers must increase? Mr. Obama says he is Christian. He should understand the power of authentic prayer.
Our Christian faith teaches us that prayer is a relationship. It is a way of life that helps us to come to know Our Father in a deeper way. It is a listening, a personal and profound time that is spent with our Creator, who calls us to be in relationship with him. St. Teresa of Avila said “Prayer is nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart to heart conversation with Him, Who we know loves us.” (Life, viii)
Mr. President, is this kind of prayer not enough? At times it may seem like it is not enough, but it is not only enough, I propose it is everything! Prayer is the way to change our attitude towards our brothers and sisters. It opens us to discovering our purpose in life. This is what our nation needs most of all.
When my son was dying and needed surgery the day he was born, we called in all the experts. But we first prayed for guidance. While my son was in surgery we didn’t ask for more doctors, no, we asked our friends for more prayers. I didn't care if those doctors were of another faith denomination beside my own, but I did care that they were believers ad that through prayer we would all be connected. I felt God's presence when the lead surgeon asked me to pray for him just minutes before he took my son into surgery. Those seconds, minutes, days, years were spent in prayer. Yes, I also visited many specialists and took very good care of him but it all flowed from the font of my relationship with my heavenly Father, of my awareness that He was leading us to help heal my son. So in my prayer, I listened, I trusted. I changed. Then I acted. Prayer taught me to love more than I thought possible. Prayer taught me to include everyone in my good thoughts. Prayer led me to love myself better. Prayer led me to the love of Christ.
A great American moral leader during a very horrible time in the middle of the 20th century once said, “A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies. This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’s tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing, unconditional love for all men. This oft misunderstood and misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of mankind. And when I speak of love I’m not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. This Hindu-Muslim-Christian-Jewish-Buddhist belief about ultimate reality is beautifully summed up in the first epistle of John: “Let us love one another, for God is love. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on “Why I Oppose the Vietnam War”)
How do we discover this Love? Sitting at the foot of the cross of Jesus. When we sit at the feet of Jesus and listen, when we stand and follow where Jesus leads, the power the Holy Spirit fills us with everything we need to overcome all things that seek to oppress and destroy us.
Mr. President I ask that you encourage us all to pray with you and with more fervor. Exhort us to develop an intimate relationship with our Father in heaven. From this kind of relationship, whether we be Christian, Jewish or Muslim, Hindu, etc., true prayer will lead us to Love. Prayer leads us to an answer on how to deal with these kinds of horrific occurrences and will open us up to an intimacy with our God of peace.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Another moment of Grace!
You would think after three prior Confirmations of my daughters, the fact that my son is getting Confirmed today would be routine for me. It is not. Each one of my children has traveled their own spiritual journey and as their Mom I am aware of how important my own faith experience has been and will continue to be on them. Today is a reminder to me that everything a parent professes and lives out has an influence on their children.
This process of preparing my child for this day has taken a special priority in our family the last few months and it has made this day very special to me. I have gotten to know my son a bit better and it has given us an excuse to pray together more often than normal.
Often I hear people say "I will let my child choose for themselves what they want to believe" by not advocating any particular form of spirituality or religion. I agree with that sentiment. The child must be allowed to choose for themselves. However, I am not so naive as to think that I don't have any influence on what they end up choosing. What I believe affects what I say and how I live. My spirituality or religiosity or lack of has an impact on how my child sees their world and their unique place in it.
My own walk in my Catholic faith has had its complexities and its nuances. There was a time when I walked away from the foundation my parents had laid out for me. They were wise enough to give me the freedom to wander, although they never stopped praying or loving me. In the course of many years I found that the promises of the world, the goals I had set out and achieved, and the dreams that had "come true" never measured up. I always felt a longing for more.
Our Christian faith has a word that describes what happened to me over the course of those years. That word is "Grace" with a capital "G". I encountered Grace and my life started anew. This occurred at a time when my children were still very young.
As I look back I realize how radically different I had approached life before. Upon discovering God's love and mercy, I realized that anyting good and true causes me to want the best for others, including my children. I was compelled to share this discovery with my family. This new vision of Grace led me back to my Catholic roots. Returning to my "home" I uncovered what it meant to be a follower and lover of Grace (Chirst). The treasures of my Catholic faith awaited me and I was elated and also ashamed that I had not understood what I had left behind. This was a maturning point in my spiritual life.
What it means to be Catholic is that we are to love life and to know that we were created for abundant joy! The Church points to that vision of who God is and what he wants for us and helped me to tap into the reality that God is alive within me and He is in our midst. The Church's mission is to tell and show everyone who God is!
How I was lead astray is the reality of most most people (even my own children) because we as human beings are so easily distracted. As well, the Church as the body of Christ, although divine is also human. At times the Church cause us great hurt. However, that does not mean that Grace is not present in God's people. I found that out when I walked back in through the church doors at Incarnation in 1996 with a whole new understanding of who God is and who I am because of him. He is Grace in spite of everything!
Today my son will stand up on his own and affirm that he desires to be a part of our Catholic faith community. I pray that he will experience the beauty and truth to be found in God's people and his Church despite the wounded souls he may come across at times. I realize that his path is his own. He will choose daily which way he wants to go, as I do so as well.
My child has a purpose in this life, each one of us does. As his mother I can help him as he matures in his faith, to always be open to an encounter with Grace. I rest assured in the fact that Grace is within him already. In the meantime, I will continue to pray for each one of my children and live my life aware of who Grace is and what He has done for me. He is Abba, He is God. A God who became man, died cruelly on a cross for our sins. He resurrected for us. We are a people that continues to remember him in our Eucharist and we partake of this mystery each time we come together at Mass. It all matters. He lives within each one of us. This is Grace, with a capital G. I can confirm that and I am thankful my son will too.
Often I hear people say "I will let my child choose for themselves what they want to believe" by not advocating any particular form of spirituality or religion. I agree with that sentiment. The child must be allowed to choose for themselves. However, I am not so naive as to think that I don't have any influence on what they end up choosing. What I believe affects what I say and how I live. My spirituality or religiosity or lack of has an impact on how my child sees their world and their unique place in it.
My own walk in my Catholic faith has had its complexities and its nuances. There was a time when I walked away from the foundation my parents had laid out for me. They were wise enough to give me the freedom to wander, although they never stopped praying or loving me. In the course of many years I found that the promises of the world, the goals I had set out and achieved, and the dreams that had "come true" never measured up. I always felt a longing for more.
Our Christian faith has a word that describes what happened to me over the course of those years. That word is "Grace" with a capital "G". I encountered Grace and my life started anew. This occurred at a time when my children were still very young.
As I look back I realize how radically different I had approached life before. Upon discovering God's love and mercy, I realized that anyting good and true causes me to want the best for others, including my children. I was compelled to share this discovery with my family. This new vision of Grace led me back to my Catholic roots. Returning to my "home" I uncovered what it meant to be a follower and lover of Grace (Chirst). The treasures of my Catholic faith awaited me and I was elated and also ashamed that I had not understood what I had left behind. This was a maturning point in my spiritual life.
What it means to be Catholic is that we are to love life and to know that we were created for abundant joy! The Church points to that vision of who God is and what he wants for us and helped me to tap into the reality that God is alive within me and He is in our midst. The Church's mission is to tell and show everyone who God is!
How I was lead astray is the reality of most most people (even my own children) because we as human beings are so easily distracted. As well, the Church as the body of Christ, although divine is also human. At times the Church cause us great hurt. However, that does not mean that Grace is not present in God's people. I found that out when I walked back in through the church doors at Incarnation in 1996 with a whole new understanding of who God is and who I am because of him. He is Grace in spite of everything!
Today my son will stand up on his own and affirm that he desires to be a part of our Catholic faith community. I pray that he will experience the beauty and truth to be found in God's people and his Church despite the wounded souls he may come across at times. I realize that his path is his own. He will choose daily which way he wants to go, as I do so as well.
My child has a purpose in this life, each one of us does. As his mother I can help him as he matures in his faith, to always be open to an encounter with Grace. I rest assured in the fact that Grace is within him already. In the meantime, I will continue to pray for each one of my children and live my life aware of who Grace is and what He has done for me. He is Abba, He is God. A God who became man, died cruelly on a cross for our sins. He resurrected for us. We are a people that continues to remember him in our Eucharist and we partake of this mystery each time we come together at Mass. It all matters. He lives within each one of us. This is Grace, with a capital G. I can confirm that and I am thankful my son will too.
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