Brooding

Brooding over something is a great shot-term solution.  Like all short-term solutions it might feel good for a while but it does not solve much else.  I think I am justifiably angry when in fact I am just feeling sorry for myself that the world is not as "it should be."  Brooding is kind of a dry response to my thirst for water to quench the emptiness that is within me.  I may be unaware that I have this hole within me.  I only know that the world is not as I think it ought to be in my life.  At the end of the day, when I examine my conscience and look over my emotional life for that day, I generally see the truth.  If I am lucky, I did not act on my brooding that day, so I don't have to apologize to anyone for actions.  This is when I realize that God has been with me the whole time, that I did not act in a harmful way to anyone else.  Why should others be punished by me for my not getting my way?

Thinking

The Irish proverb, "You'll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind," applies to me in my spiritual life some days.  it begins when I get up in the morning and set my priorities out of whack.  I decide to put off prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, till "later."  I will do some other very important things, such as exercise and check my computer or go to breakfast with someone.  I think about the spiritual life, but I don't do anything.  That time called "later" never seems to happen that particular day.  A spiritual life is action.  Many people judge that anyone who sits with their eyes closed in silence and stillness is "wasting time," "getting nothing done."  If my ego goes unchecked by prayer, the "active" life that day will not be productive of much good.  This is my experience.  No one gets to a meeting simply by thinking about going.

The Power

I was sitting in a group that was talking about being active in a spiritual practice, and not just talking about it.  What can we do on a daily basis to keep growing in the spiritual life.? This one fellow piped up for was having difficulties, of which I was well aware from my own humble beginnings.  I meant to talk with him after the session ended, but being self-absorbed, I forgot.  God did not forget.  As I was walking out the door to the parking lot, this fellow was walking right in front of me and lingered outside the front door.  What a coincidence, right?  So I stopped and told him, from my experience what he might do to have a plan.  He loved it.  He said he had no plan and my advice was a good plan he would follow.  I gave him my name and went home.  God's grace is greater than my self-absorption.  That is why I tend to call God a power greater than myself.

A Homily

HOMILY NOTES

FR. TERRY RYAN, CSP

LUKE 16: 19-31

SEPTMBER 25, 2016

Sometimes people say that they have given up on God or do not believe in a God because there is so much suffering in the world and God does not prevent it.  The story of Lazarus and the rich man is used to make their case against God.  In fact, God did try to help Lazarus.  God did not ignore Lazarus.  God’s plan was for the rich man to take care of Lazarus.  The rich man was a believer.  Abraham was “Father” to the man.  He also knew Lazarus.  The rich man was supposed to be God’s skin in the world and take care of Lazarus.  He did not do his job.  All of us fail at one time or another to be God’s skin the world.  We all have more of something while someone else we know has far less, and we ignore them 

         In school situations, one person has friends, is in a popular group, while someone who they know by name, does not seem to have friends or to connect.  The popular person ignores the lonely person who they see every day!  Some people use information as power.  They don’t share it with others who are ill informed.  Some people have skills but won’t share their expertise. 

         This gospel is not a critique on wealth or poverty.  Neither the rich man nor Lazarus is judged for their situation.  The rich man had it good in his lifetime and Lazarus had it bad.  Sometimes we tend to blame the poor for being poor.  Somehow, it is their own fault, so we don’t have to do anything to help them.  Or we judge people with lots of money, to be an evil and wrong situation.  The wrong of the rich man is that he did nothing for Lazarus who was right in front of him every day.  Even in the Netherworld, the rich man never repented or apologized or admitted that he messed up.  He wanted Lazarus to take care of his thirst in the flames.   He who ignored Lazarus did not want to be ignored himself. 

         Some of us think that if we actually saw Jesus risen from the dead we would become believers, or stronger believers and practice our faith better.  Abraham has it right.  Sometimes we are so self-imploded that even a person raised from the dead won’t change us.   

Done

If you do something that has no "done" to it, you might be addicted.  Workaholics have no "done" in their work.  They are never finished.  Two guys are in a bar having a couple of beers.  One says, "I am done," and leaves to go home.  The other fellow keeps drinking.  He has no "done" in his drinking.  He may well be an alcoholic.  When I go to run or gym exercise, I decide how long I will run or exercise.  If I run too much or too fast or too long a distance, I will get injured.  I might then qualify as a runaholic!  Such people exist in the running communities.  Some people are never done making enough money.  There is never enough.  "More" replaces "done."  I try to live in moderation where I can.  Otherwise, if not moderation, then abstinence.  I have learned my limits, sometimes painfully.

Feet

I hear people say that they are "on a spiritual path."  To be on any path requires feet, or if no feet, then a chair that moves.  Spiritual journeys begin with feet.  I have to move to my place of prayer, away from unnecessary noise and commotion.  If I gather with others to talk/share about things spiritual, I have to go to meet them somewhere.  I don't Skype such groups.  Inertia leads to inertia and cheap talk about growth without doing anything.  At some point I may not be able to move anymore. Unless I am a hermit,  I hope that the feet of others comes to me.  Hmmm.  Maybe there is someone out there who needs my feet to move towards them?  

Change

I don't embrace change.  Wherever I live, I live with other people.  Since I am away from my "residences" for some periods of time, whenever I show up, there has been change in how the house functions, given who is living there.  My initial solution is to become a hermit, a whining, complaining, resentful hermit.  I don't embrace change.  I have problems with a God who might want to be teaching me something, helping me to grow, through the changes I encounter.  So I start out with resentment and judgment.  Unhappiness, and irritability follow.  My tongue wags with complaint.  Since the change looks rather permanent, and I having no power to turn it into my favor, I tend to fall back onto acceptance and surrender.  Ironically, this seems to take me out of my misery, and to make others around me happier.  I don't like surrender.  I prefer power.  Perhaps there is power in surrender and acceptance?  I have heard this is so.