Faith

I watched some of the local college team football game today.  The team lost by a lot and  seemed to me to be dreadful.  But afterwards, the commentators who know a lot about football said that the team would improve and we need to be patient.  They saw things I did not see.  I am an amateur fan and they are coaches who have been through a lot of football.  They see things I do not see.

Faith is like that in a way.  You look upon Jesus on the cross and see a dreadful loser.  Don't hope in this guy.  Find a winner.  But the experts, such as Paul, see so much more in the same scenario.  I have the same faith as Paul.  I have been in religion for a long time.  I have come to see strength in weakness.  I have come to see that failure is a great teacher.  Don't give up.  Trust that God is at work.  Faith begins to grow usually by believing in the believers.  They have been on the road longer than you.

So I am a believer in my local college football team, not because I see something good in the mess, but because I believe in the believers.  In time, I may become converted.  My team could use a resurrection win though.

Not So Small World

Well, a nun tells her little students not to associate with children who go to non-Catholic Schools or don't believe as we believe.  And in Germany, no pay, no way to sacraments. Talk about turning inward!  Jesus would be turning over in his grave if he were in his grave.  If the bishops in the USA said that only supporters of the parish would get sacraments, we would have a smaller first communion and confirmation class, fewer baptisms and weddings.  What about the dead?  Well, Jesus did say, "Let the dead bury the dead."  Will the German bishops take this literally?  And you wonder why Catholics here are ignoring the hierarchy and voting for Obama?

Too Much Unemployment

When unemployment in a society gets to a certain percentage, whatever that is, bad things will happen.  The unemployed, especially if they are young, have energy and time.  They are not working.  They become blamers and negative thinkers.  Someone or something caused this.  They suffer self-esteem issues.  So they burn things, destroy things, and people.  They see themselves as over and against.  If all those people in the Middle East, as we call that region, were at 8% unemployment, there would be a lot less mess.  People would be invested, and be going to work.  No time to hate another religion or to listen to some mullah.  No energy left over to destroy.  No lack of self-worth that leads to cantankerousness.  In my country, things are kind of quiet. The young still have hope that jobs will come.  There is something of a safety net.  A few unemployables sit in the parks.  Did anyone see the 60s coming?

Lookin' Good

If people know you as a Catholic, try to be pleasant even if you feel crumby.  Don't give our religion a bad name by your attitude.  What if you decide to whine and complain about your woes.  Your friend listens, or appears to listen.  You finish.  You feel better and thank your friend for listening.  You part.  Then you don't see your friend for what seems an unusually long time.  And you wonder why?  Jesus did not say, "Go to mass every Sunday and receive communion, and stay free from mortal sin."  The hierarchy said that. Jesus said, "Take up your cross and follow me."  He did not include whining in the carrying of the cross.  There are 14 stations of the cross.  Do you recall any one that said,  "Jesus whined?"  Whining causes isolation.  At least I have found it so.

Inner and Outer Self

At times, people come up to me and say, "Father, you look good.  You look happy.  You look rested.  You seem to be at peace."  I am not aware of any of this.  I did not see any of this in the mirror earlier that morning.  What I do recall is that on those days, I had spent quiet time in solitude with God before I encountered the person who just spoke with me.  The inner self is reproduced in the outer self.  The inner gives birth to the outer.  Want to look good and spend zero money on cosmetics, and gym costs?  Meditate.  Oh, but I do work out!

Executive Followers

Jesus' disciples wanted to be executives in the Kingdom.  They would argue who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.  The one who sits closest to power would be the greatest.  It is true that CEO types can do a lot of good, but in fact, few do.  It is a lot of greed and the bottom line for many.  The trickle down economic idea was a way to be greedy and think some "invisible hand" was going to feed the lower classes.  

Jesus gave his followers the key to power.  He said to be of service.  Now a lot of people come to this country, poor, and get work because they do jobs no one else wants to do.  They come and make beds, wash dishes, clean floors, cook and so on.  If a person could do these tasks with love rather than prideful resentment, the world would be changed.  Once a year, the male hierarchy in my church washes a few feet.  The rest of the time, they want to be CEOs.  You wonder why religion is losing its grip on the culture?

Disguise

We Catholics believe that Jesus is present in the bread and wine of mass.  It is a symbol of his presence.  To outsiders, this might seem kind of strange and quaint.  We, on the other hand, do not see our sufferings, failures, difficulties, as a way that God disguises the Holy Presence in these trying situations.  We try to petition God to take them away, or we think that God has abandoned us, so we abandon God.  Many of the events in our life are kind of "eucharistic" presences of God, hidden in the events.  Any cross in our life is seen as the absence of God, though we believe that Jesus, on the cross, is the presence of God.  That is, suffering is OK if God is doing the suffering.  I find that I whine less if I can hang onto the insight that God is hidden in much more of my daily life than I think.