casual theology

Being and Doing

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Sun, 17 Jul 2022 16:00:00 +0000

"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."
(Luke 10:42, from the Gospel for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time)

I was listening to a podcast with Fr. John Riccardo and he said something to the effect of “we often think that the calling to be a disciple is to work for Jesus, but the calling of a disciple is to be with Jesus.” The Gospel account of Martha and Mary this week is so important for us to hear and learn from.

Over the last six years, I have worked in two suburban parishes doing adult formation. Both parishes are located in very affluent areas and have a large number of upper middle class, white collar professionals. We have CEOs, attorneys, physicians, salespeople, pharmaceutical professionals, corporate executives, and even professional athletes. I’ve joked at times that our home could probably fit in the garages of some of the parishioners I know. Many of their young people are involved in multiple afterschool clubs and traveling sports teams. To say that I am often surrounded by Type-A personalities would be an understatement.

There is often a temptation to carryover the fast-paced, hardworking, overcommitted, results-oriented lifestyle into one’s spiritual life. We busy ourselves with doing things, good things, but can confusing doing things for God for being with God. I know this can be a struggle for me. I do quite a bit of teaching and it can be tempting to allow studying scripture to put a teaching together to replace spending time prayerfully in scripture to just connect with the Lord.

When we look at the Gospel for the 16^th Sunday of Ordinary Time we see Martha and Mary, two women who loved Jesus and desired to be his disciples. Martha is focused on serving Jesus and her guests, and that is a good thing. As Catholics we value the works of mercy and have a robust social teaching focused on carrying for others. The average Catholic parish cannot function without an army of dedicated volunteers who selflessly give of their time, talent, and treasure week in and week out – and we can always use more of them. Focusing our efforts on doing good things with good intentions is a good thing.

But Mary chose something better. Many times the good can be the enemy of the best. The foundation of our spiritual lives needs to be “wasting” time with Jesus. We must learn to value being over doing. At the baptism of Jesus, the Father declares his pleasure with Jesus before Jesus did any public ministry. Jesus didn’t earn the Father’s pleasure by doing things, but he had his pleasure based on their relationship. If we want to be effective in doing good things for God, we must start in a place of rest and knowing that God’s love and pleasure for us is not found in what we do, but who we are.

Being & doing are not mutually exclusive. One is not right & the other wrong. However, being is more important ("the better part") and effective doing must come from a place of being. Being is also the part that most of us find more difficult, but it is worth the effort.

Living in the Right-side Up

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 19:31:00 +0000

“Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.”
Colossians 1:15-16 (Second Reading from 15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – July 10, 2022)

I must confess that I love Stranger Things, the streaming series on Netflex*. If you’re not familiar with Stranger Things, it’s a sci-fi/horror show set in a fictional Indiana town in the mid-80’s where our core group of characters battle evil forces from the Upside Down, another dimension that is a corrupted copy of their own world. I love how they’ve nailed the whole 1980’s vibe from the music to the clothes to the freedom we had as kids to roam the town with little parental supervision. The storylines are suspenseful, and you get attached to the characters. The primary hero figure is Eleven, a girl with telekinetic superpowers.

After binge watching Season 4 recently, I found myself reflecting on some of the deeper themes of Stranger Things and their connection to theology. At the same time, I was listening to a Catholic podcast and they brought up a quote from the famous Catholic author Frank Sheed discussing one of the problems with modern Catholics: “When we look at the Universe, we see pretty well what other people see, plus certain extra features taught us by our religion… So that we have not so much Catholic minds as worldly minds with Catholic patches. Intellectually, we wear our Catholicism like a badge on the lapel of the same kind of suit that everyone else is wearing.” (from Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed, emphasis added)

This is a theme that St. Paul touches on in his letters, that we as Christians ought to be looking at and thinking about the world differently than those who do not know Jesus because we are supposed to have the mind of Christ.

In other words, that means we need to have a multidimensional understanding of the world in which we live. As we are reminded in the second reading for the 15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (and we repeat every week in the Creed), ours is a world of the visible and invisible. We share this space with other personal beings that we cannot see, and what we do in this physical dimension can have lasting impacts in the spiritual dimension which we also inhabit. Unfortunately, all too often we look at our surroundings and situations just like everyone else. We fail to be transformed by the renewal of our minds.

To truly be Catholic is to have a sacramental worldview, one that is multidimensional. Like the kids in Stranger Things, we are doing battle everyday with evil forces bent on destroying us and our world. While they battle the fictional Mindflayer and demogorgons, we are facing very real demonic beings, principalities and powers. In the fantasy world of Hawkins, IN, Eleven calls upon her superhuman powers to fight the enemy. In reality, we don't have to rely on that one special person because by baptism & confirmation we all have access to superpowers. We have access to heavenly power beyond our imagination by the Holy Spirit to “tread on serpents and scorpions” and to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons”.

What does a Spirit-filled life look like when we daily walk with the mind of Christ? What does it look like when I am aware and mindful that there are angelic beings with me 24/7, that I am never truly alone? How small do my problems look when I am conscious of the reality that I have access to the Kingdom of God here and now?

In a way, all of the fallen world around us is the Upside Down and it's only by allowing the Holy Spirit to renew our minds into the mind of Christ that we can truly live in the Right-side Up of the Kingdom of God.

-----

* I know Netflex has many issues and many shows that are a moral cesspool. I'm not advocating or supporting it. You can also watch Stranger Things on Vidangel.com.

Loaves and Fishes

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 16:46:00 +0000

“Give them some food yourselves.” Jesus’ words to his disciples were surprising, challenging, and seemingly impossible. They responded as most of us would have, taking a quick inventory of their resources and realizing their limitations. In making such an outrageous suggestion Jesus was trying to get his students to live by faith not by sight. As St. Paul would often refer to in his letters, Jesus was trying to get the disciple to be transformed by a renewal of their minds (Rom. 12:2), to no longer behave like unspiritual men, but as spiritually minded disciples (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

It is important to keep in mind when the feeding of the multitude took place. Sunday’s reading was taken from Luke 9:10-17. Leading up to this event, the disciples had witness Jesus calming the storm (Luke 8:22-25), a woman healed just by touching is garment (Luke 8:43-48) and Jesus raising a girl from the dead (Luke 8:49-56). Furthermore, the disciples had just returned to Jesus after he had sent them out on mission to heal the sick, cast out demons, and proclaim the Gospel (Luke 9:1-6). Jesus had shared his authority with them, and this was a chance for them to step up and use that authority to complete the task he had given them to feed the crowd.

Although the disciples were in close relationship with Jesus, they had not yet received the fullness of the Holy Spirit which would come at Pentecost. Not being fully renewed in their minds, they defaulted to relying on their own abilities and resources. Jesus then gives us a image of what life in the Spirit will be like through the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Acting with the Holy Spirit, knowing that in the Kingdom of God there is no lack of resources he provides for the crowd. Even in this miraculous act, he does not leave the disciples to be mere spectators. He still works the miracle through them, “he gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.” He demonstrated to them, that when they partner with him nothing is impossible.

Is there something in your life that seems too big for you to handle? Do you look at your limited gifts, abilities, or resources and wonder what you have to offer? When we open ourselves to surrendering to God and offering him the little we do have, there is nothing he can’t do. His resources are limitless. His desire to bless others through us is greater than our desire to see him do it. All it takes to see the impossible is to offer our little loaves and fishes and then do whatever he tells us.

Boasting in Afflictions

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 17:24:00 +0000

“Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom. 5:4-5, Second Reading for Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, 6/12/22)

Paul speaks of boasting in our afflictions, elsewhere he makes a point that we should boast of our weakness (2 Cor. 11:30, 12:5, 12:9). It seems so countercultural to boast in what we cannot do or over situations that look more like failure than success. We want to herald our victories and revel in our strengths. But in the upside-down nature the Kingdom of God, we are called to embrace the very things that seem to disqualify us in the eyes of the world. This was true of the Twelve that Jesus chose: poor and uneducated fishermen, an outcast tax collector, and a political extremist. As the saying goes, “God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called.”

The last several years have given me much to boast about according to St. Paul. I’ve been through my own cancer diagnosis, experienced personal betrayal, lost a job, had children dealing with various health issues, a house that seems to be in constant need of repair and is too small for our family, financial difficulties, and more. There have been many times that the wind and waves of life have pulled my attention from the Lord. Yet, as Paul writes to the Romans, these hardships can be opportunities for growth and blessing just as much as they can be obstacles of faith. The difference, of course, is our response to afflictions and weakness. When I surrender and trust in the Lord these difficulties become occasions of grace and growth. However, if I worry, panic, or try to make it on my own power these same challenges entrap me in a snare of self-reliance and rob me of peace.

It’s very much like the old Chinese finger trap:

May God grant us the grace to trust in him, to have confidence in his goodness, and faith in his power.

Secret Menu Items

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Have you received the Sacrament of Confirmation? Did you know that the Catholic Church teaches that when we are confirmed we are receiving the same grace and outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the disciples received on the first Pentecost? In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that Confirmation “perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church.” (CCC 1288, 1302) The Catechism also uses that terminology to describe how the Mass perpetuates Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. (CCC 611, 1323) That’s powerful when you stop and think about it. Many of us are familiar with the idea that the sacrifice of the Mass, through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is representing Jesus’ work on the cross; that is, at every Mass we are being reconnected to the one event of Calvary.

It is significant that the Church uses the same verb, perpetuate, when describing what happens in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We receive the same Spirit, the same outpouring, the same grace, as the first disciples of Jesus in the Upper Room. So, when we were confirmed, the same Spirit that came in a rushing wind with tongues of fire and filled the disciples with boldness to proclaim Jesus with signs and wonders came upon us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember any rushing winds when I was confirmed. I remember getting dressed up for the bishop and having a party and getting gifts, not necessarily spiritual gifts.

So why is our experience so different? St. Thomas Aquinas taught that the graces we receive in the sacraments can be bound in us for a variety of reasons: lack of faith, improper catechesis, sin, etc. When this happens it’s like receiving a gift from someone but not opening it. We must engage the grace God gives us by faith to see its effects in out lives. Part of that is knowing what to expect, or at least to have an idea of what is possible. Many of us may recall being taught about the Seven Gifts of the Spirt found in Isaiah 11: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These are given to make us holy, to make us more like Jesus. But there are other gifts that the Spirit gives that are given to build up the Church and help us share the gospel with others.

There’s a secret menu item hidden in the second reading at Mass for Pentecost Sunday from 1 Corinthians 12. Often the lectionary will omit verses to keep the readings short while keeping the general meaning. In today’s reading we hear 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13. Notice verses 8-11 are skipped over. In these verses, Paul lists several gifts of the Spirit that are given to believers to strengthen the Church and help us fulfill our mission to make disciples. These gifts are often called the charismatic gifts, taken from the Greek word for gift, charisma. Paul tells us the Spirit gives these gifts to us “as he wills” so we cannot earn them, nor are they signs of our holiness because they are not for our benefit but for others.

Just before Pentecost, Jesus promised his disciples that they would receive the Holy Spirit and the power (in Greek dunamis, from which we get dynamite) to continue his mission. That’s what happened to them at Pentecost and the rest of the Acts of the Apostles is the story of the disciples spreading the Good News with signs and wonders just like Jesus did. In fact, it’s a fulfilment of the promise Jesus made at the Last Supper that “anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (John 14:12) In the Sacrament of Confirmation we receive the same power and the same gifts that the first disciples did. We need to turn to the Lord in faith and ask him to release in us the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, to awaken in us the grace that we received but have not experienced.

Cultural Insanity and The Christian

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Wed, 25 May 2022 19:28:00 +0000

On multiple occasions over the past year I’ve had a reoccurring dream. I find myself in an insane asylum where the inmates have taken over and have the appearance of zombies. I was going from room to room looking for other trapped people, some asleep and others unaware of what was happening, and leading them to escape. At the same time, I encounter a few of the insane zombies and I am able to cure them so they become “normal” and leave with us. I believe this is a prophetic dream speaking to the nature of our culture and our mission as Christians.

In the early telling of the story of Narcissus in Greek mythology the young man become enamored with his own image and committed suicide after despairing that no one could love him as much as he loved himself. It’s from this story that modern psychology takes the name Narcissistic Personality Disorder to describe an individual with an inflated sense of their own purpose and a lack of empathy for others.

The Mayo Clinic lists the following as symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration
Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
Exaggerate achievements and talents
Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people
Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior
Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations
Take advantage of others to get what they want
Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
Be envious of others and believe others envy them
Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious
Insist on having the best of everything — for instance, the best car or office
Become impatient or angry when they don't receive special treatment
Have significant interpersonal problems and easily feel slighted
React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior
Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior
Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change
Feel depressed and moody because they fall short of perfection
Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation

I know that’s a long list but take another look. Does it sound familiar? Does it sound like a description of our current culture driven by social media? If you’re unsure take some time to browse the comment sections of just about any website or look at the viral videos of Karens and flash mob burglaries.

We are sick as a culture. If we’re lucky this sickness is limited to yelling, shouting, cheating, and stealing. On bad days it is manifested in mass shootings. The symptoms may vary in frequency and severity, but the disease remains. We have become Narcissus and if we are not careful, we will meet the same tragic end in cultural suicide.

There are two quotes that I dwell on as I think about the times in which we live. The first is from a letter Pope Benedict XVI wrote to the bishops of the world:

The real problem at this moment of our history is that God is disappearing from the human horizon, and, with the dimming of the light which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects.

The second quote is from the poem The Second Coming by the Irish poet William Yeats:

Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

We are living in an insane asylum. Abandoning God, our culture has lost any connection to truth. Right and wrong, good and evil have been replaced by the pursuit of power at any cost, because those in power are those in control (or at least the hold the illusion of control). We allow politics and political maneuvering to divide us against each other to such an extreme that we can only see our opponents as evil and we dehumanize them. Losing any idea of what it means to be human, we are utterly confused about our identity and purpose.

It is only the light of Christ, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, that can bring sanity to insane world, and it is our call to be light bearers. We who know The Way are being called to lead others. We who know The Truth are being called to speak with boldness. We who know The Life are being called to lay our lives, our desires, our preferences down for the sake others.

There may have been easier times to be a follower of Jesus, but we are only given the time that we have. Take courage, because God must have great confidence in you and me that we are the ones he has placed in this time. In words of St. Joan of Arc, we were born for this. Let's go save some souls!

The Long Lent of COVID

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 16:00:00 +0000

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels like the past year has been one long Lent. The coronavirus pandemic began shutting down society just a couple weeks after Ash Wednesday last year. Since then, we have experienced prolonged times of imposed fasting and abstinence. It has felt like a long spiritual desert where our religious practices and community gatherings have been disrupted. Like Jesus in the wilderness, as a church and a nation we have experienced a season of temptations which we haven’t always resisted. Our faith in institutions, religious and secular, have been put to the test.

I listened to an interview on the radio about the impact that quarantines and shut-downs may have in the future as people’s habits—like dining out, traveling, or going to movies—have changed and they may not go back to some of those things as restrictions are lifted. The same can be said for churches. Many who may have been attending Mass out of habit or obligation have had the better part of a year to form new habits for Sunday mornings. The challenges ahead are just as daunting in many ways as the ones we’ve faced through 2020.

But there is hope. One of my favorite quotes from St. John Paul II is, “We are an Easter people and alleluia is our song!” The hardships and sacrifices endured during every Lent always give way to the celebration and joy of Easter. The uncertainty and pain of the cross will always surrender to the glory of the empty tomb, if only we persevere. God was not surprised by the coronavirus. He was not caught off guard or sleeping. The world does not shut down without it’s Maker still being fully in control. During my battle with cancer the one spiritual truth I learned was that God is good and because he is good, I can trust him even when I don’t understand my circumstances.

If all we had to rely upon was our own strength, our own creativity, our own ideas, then we would be in a difficult place, but we are not alone. Each of us, as baptized Catholics, have been given the great gift of the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, lead us, and empower us. The very presence of God, the very same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in us (Rom. 8:11). We have seen the Holy Spirit at work in our parish leading our priests and staff to adapt to the “new normal” of the pandemic in creative ways. We’ve offered online options for bible study and RCIA, live-streamed Masses with drive-thru communion, created an online community through a new parish Facebook group, and much more. During this pandemic I’ve participated in online conferences and prayer meetings where I have been blessed to witnessed individuals receive healing through the prayers of others hundreds of miles away through video conferencing. God is not bound by the limits that bind us.

We will continue to rely on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us moving forward as we look with hope to the day of leaving “social distancing” behind us and look at each other face-to-face again. We will need the Spirit’s presence and power to send us a faithful witness out to a world that has been shaken by plague and social distress to call them back to the Father, to receive his mercy and love. The long Lent of COVID will not have the last word. We are an Easter people, and alleluia is our song!

Fear is a Liar

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:25:00 +0000

I’ve been praying and reflecting on the state of our world over the last 6 months. It seems that we are in the grasp of a demonic darkness rooted in fear. This darkness is suffocating, intensifying, and seeks to blot out any light. We are fearful for our health, our finances, and our safety. Fear is driving division and unrest to isolate us against each other.

Fear is one of the primary results of sin, it’s right there with shame and death. Fear gripped Adam in the garden (Gen. 3:10), and we have been in its grasp ever since. At its most fundamental level fear is rooted in our separation from God, in our fallen nature. Cut off from God by sin we feel alone and abandoned, and we feel threatened and vulnerable---because we are. Fear causes us to act from a place of self-protection and self-preservation rather than how we were originally created to live through the gift of ourselves to other in free acts of love.

COVID-19 has robbed us of the false sense of security that we had control over certain aspects of our lives. More than anything it reminded us of our mortality with the shock and awe of a slap to the face. The Enemy has used this virus to shake us to our core and fear for our physical wellbeing over and above the spiritual reality that physical death is not the worst thing that can happen to us (Matt. 10:28). Confined to our homes, shut off from friends and family, we have taken drastic measures to preserve physical life at the expense of actually living. If fear is rooted in our existential crisis of being cut off from our relationship with God, then our response to this pandemic has been to further isolate ourselves from each other. No wonder anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation have all been on the rise.

Even the social unrest we are experiencing in our cities over the problems of racism and police brutality are rooted in fear. So many people of color have a lived experience of living in fear. This fear has given itself over to anger and it some cases anger to rage or violence. This cycle of fear, anger, rage, and violence is self-perpetuating. As a society we have rejected the truths of God’s revelation about our own nature. We reject the idea of original sin or our inherited brokenness believing that if we all work together we can eventually create a utopia, if we just get everyone to think the right way, say the right things, act the right way then we can eliminate racism or hate. But the root of these problems of racism and inequality are not in external actions or systems, the root is in our fallen nature. Judging others by the color of their skin or selfishly seeking to gain all I can at the expense of others is caused by fear—fear of others, fear of going without—and self-preservation that prevents us from living as loving, self-giving sons and daughters of God.

There is a reason the bible tells us well over 100 times to not be afraid. We are a people who are given over to fear and distrust and it colors everything we do, our thoughts, our actions, and our relationships. Even as baptized children of God we are more often motivated and controlled by our fears than by living in trustful abandonment to our loving Father. It’s just in our fallen nature to be afraid, but God desires to set us free from our fears. The only hope we have in this fallen world consumed by fear is Jesus. Only he can set us free from these chains of fear that bind us. Only when we learn to live in the power of his presence can we experience this freedom because the only thing that can overcome fear is perfect love (1 John 4:18). When we know and experience God’s amazing, unconditional, free, and scandalous love for us then the power of fear is broken.

Worthy of the Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Mon, 20 May 2019 17:48:00 +0000

Let’s file this under “things I never thought I’d have to write about.” Several months ago I noticed a lump on my left triceps. I brought it up to my doctor and after looking at it and feeling it, he said it was a lipoma, a benign fatty tumor, and nothing to be concerned about. He said he’d seen this in other patients and when he sent them for referrals to the surgery office the surgeons just tried talking the patients our of having an elective procedure. A few months passed and this lump wasn’t going away, in fact it had grown. I saw my doctor again and again he said it was a lipoma, but he would agree to give me a surgical referral if I really wanted one. Due to a busy schedule I let a couple months pass and then finally asked for that referral at the end of March.

After several tests, including a biopsy, I got the diagnosis last week that I had pleomorphic liposarcoma, a rare and usually aggressive form of soft tissue cancer. Talk about a lightning bolt out of the blue. I was given the biopsy results over the phone and immediately looked those words up on Google, then proceeded to go before the tabernacle to cry a little and pray a lot. About 1 in 2-million people are diagnosed with this each year, that’s roughly only 180 new cases in the U.S. Fortunately, I had a chest CT that showed that it had not spread to my lungs so it appears contained to my arm at this time. As I write this I am currently waiting to see an oncologist for a treatment plan that I’m told will most likely start with chemotherapy then surgery then either more chemo or radiation. I ask for your prayers and am confident in the healing power of God.

Someone told me that the mental/emotional side of a cancer diagnosis is just as difficult, if not more so, than the physical element. The day I got the news and throughout the weekend I found myself going back and forth from confident optimism to dwelling on the worst case scenarios. The hardest part for me is thinking about my wife and kids. Fortunately, from the beginning of this new chapter in my life I have turned to the Lord, and he has not let me down.

Immediately several scripture passages came to mind I began to pray and meditate over them.

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light & my salvation, whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?

…

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

and he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

…

I remain confident in this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Philippians 1: 18-27

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (emphasis added)

Paul was writing to the Philippians about suffering for the Gospel, but I have decided to follow his example as I suffer this disease in my body. I will conduct myself in a manner worthy of the Gospel. I will hope and not despair. I will trust and not worry. I will praise and not complain. I will keep an eternal perspective no matter what comes my way.

I was praying after receiving Communion at Mass yesterday. I was laying my heart out before the Lord, as I have been since getting this diagnosis. I was telling him how I am placing my trust in him; that my life is in his hands; that I am counting on him to preserve my life and heal me. It was then that the Lord spoke to my heart and asked me if my life wasn’t already in his hands before I got this news, if I didn’t need to trust him or rely on him for my healing and protection. This news may have come as a surprise and a shock to me, but as my wife reminded me, God was not surprised by it.

Ultimately nothing of eternal importance changes before and after the news of cancer. I was his beloved child before and I remain so today. I was utterly dependent upon God for everything in my life before, and I still am today. He was the one who held my life in his hands before, and he will continue to hold me now. He was my healer then, and my healer now. What I have received is a gift to put life in perspective, to reorient my priorities in light of eternity. I firmly believe that I will be healed of this cancer, either through the miraculous hand of God or by God working through doctors and medicine. What I am reminded of is that this life will end one day, but as the readings from the Mass yesterday proclaimed a day is coming, “He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,for the old order has passed away.” (Rev. 21:3-4)

Not one of us is promised tomorrow. We are given the present moment and it is ours to use to bring glory to God or squander away. I have squandered too many moments in my life. I am filled with conviction to live each moment for God’s glory by sharing his love with others, by living a life worthy of the Gospel.

Keeping ALL His Commands

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 13:42:00 +0000

Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (Jn. 14:15) As Christians we look to these words of Jesus as a kind of mission statement and a guiding principle in what we do and how we even define what it means to be a disciple. While some of Christ’s commands may seem easier than others, they are all challenging and all call us to move out of our comfort zones.

We are commanded to repent (Mt. 4:17), to avoid anger (Mt. 5:21-22), to be forgiving towards others (Mt. 18:21-22), to pray for our enemies (Mt. 5:44), and to care for the disadvantaged and suffering (Mt. 25:31-48). These commands of Christ form the heart of Christian morality and social justice. Although difficult at times, no one doubts the seriousness of the call to obey these commands, just as no one doubts Christ’s intention that these apply to any and all who would call themselves disciples.

When we read how Jesus said that the world would know we are his by our love (Jn. 13:35) we apply this standard to our lives, individually and collectively as a church. We recognize that love for each other is a hallmark of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Likewise, we take the words of Jesus to be light and salt (Mt. 5:13-15) to the world as a command to share our faith with others as a way of giving glory to the Father.

Even the more challenging demands of Christ are not taken lightly. When he challenges us to cut off a limb or gouge out an eye rather than sin (Mt. 5:28-30) we understand our call to holiness is serious. As Catholics we accept his word that the bread and wine become his Body and Blood, and his command to “Do this” in and through the celebration of the Mass.

But there are some commands of Jesus that we do not take seriously. There are certain commands that we actively ignore. We make excuses and develop elaborate theologies to explain these commands away. We say they don’t apply to us. They seem odd and outdated, something for a less modern world.

Which commands am I talking about?

“‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way…Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Lk. 10:2,8-9)

“And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk. 16:15-18)

Jesus commands his followers to “heal the sick” and even says that miraculous signs will accompany “those who believe”—not just the apostles or super holy. Yet, so many Christians today, Catholic and Protestant, either doubt or outright deny the power of God to heal today. For many Catholics they may allow for such wonders, but only in the extraordinary lives of the saints or special places like Lourdes. The thought that an average believer could possibly pray for and see the sick healed is just too much to believe. It’s a little ironic that we can believe in transubstantiation, the forgiveness of sins, various apparitions or weeping statues, but have such a hard time believing the very plain words of Christ.

Of course, to really believe and follow the command of Jesus to “heal the sick” requires a whole different kind of faith of us than loving others or caring for the poor. Nothing brings you out of your comfort zone like offering to pray for someone to be healed from their injury, disease, or suffering. It is completely out of our control, and totally dependent upon God. I can pray, but the Holy Spirit is the one who works the miracle, or not. On the other hand, there is something liberating about this also, whether or not someone is healed when I pray for them doesn’t depend on me. All that is required of me is faithfulness to Jesus’ command to pray and a little faith—the size of a mustard seed—that God is able to do work. The greatest risk to me is looking a little foolish if nothing happens, but the reward when someone does experience the healing presence of God is so much greater than the risk!

With the new year upon us and the need to come up with a new resolution, perhaps this year resolve to follow all of Jesus’ commands, including praying for the sick to be healed. This isn’t just intercessory prayer in our private prayer closets; it is laying our hands on the sick and praying for them in person. We are called to be faithful to the command and the more we are the greater our faith will grow and we will see God move to heal. With so many hurting people around us everyday the greatest gift we can give them is an encounter with the healing love and presence of Jesus.

That's Not How It Works

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 22:51:00 +0000

I received a flyer in the mail from a local non-denominational church advertising their services for the holiday season. These mass mailings aren’t all that unique, many churches, Protestant and Catholic, send them out around Christmas and Easter as a way of reaching out to people who may be looking for a place to worship. But this flyer was a little different than others that I’ve seen and it got me thinking.

Here’s part of the text from the flyer (I changed the name of the church):

Go ahead. Sleep in on Sunday.

Whether you like the idea of sleeping in, want to free up some extra weekend time for that family gathering at the in-laws, or are just heading out of town on the weekends. Whatever the reason, find some extra peace from the holiday hustle with us on Thursdays at our Early Weekend Service.

We’ll have the same great kids environments, same great coffee, same great music and teaching you’ve come to expect from Relevant Church…Now on Thursdays, too.

Relevant Church. Where you’ll find friendly folks, great coffee, dim lights and easy exits if you change your mind.

Obviously this particular faith community is trying to make themselves accessible and non-threatening—they have “easy exits” after all. They’re trying to be sensitive to the fact that many people are incredibly busy between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Still, I can’t help but wonder about the message they’re sending, which is basically you can have Jesus on your terms alone.

Unfortunately…

The Catholic Church celebrated the solemnity of Christ the King on Sunday. It’s a day to remember that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. A day to recall that he has invited me to enter into his Kingdom, the realm where his will is done “on earth as it is in heaven”. It is a time to reflect on the reality that I am a servant of the King and I serve Him on His terms, not mine. When Jesus called the disciples it was not at their convenience, but at the cost of their lives. They dropped their nets, walked away from their livelihoods and followed.

Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote about the idea of cheap grace versus costly grace. He said, “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Cheap grace is God on my terms. It is safe and controllable. Non-threatening.

Of the alternative, costly grace, Bonheoffer wrote, “It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”

We are living in a time of great upheaval, confusion, and uncertainty. More and more people are abandoning faith in God than ever before. Scandals and scandalous behaviors dominate the headlines. I don’t think that good coffee and a hipster Jesus who won’t ask too much of us are the answers to these problems, and neither did St. John Paul II who said, “The Church needs saints. All are called to holiness, and holy people alone can renew humanity.”

To quote John Paul II’s friend, Ronald Reagan, we need to raise “a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people.” The problem with trying so much to look like the world to attract the world is that you don’t stand out enough for the world to see you. We do not have the luxury of accepting Jesus on our terms. We are called to holiness, love, and sacrifice.

As I pondered how this church flyer was trying to make it easier on people I was struck by the contrast to my Catholic faith which throws in a holy day of obligation, December 8^th for the Immaculate Conception of Mary, right in the middle of this busy time of the year. The Advent season itself is a challenge to be different from the world. It is supposed to be like a little Lent, a time of penance and self-examination. A time to slow down and ponder in our hearts the mystery of the Incarnation and to look forward with expectation to Christ’s return. My God does not ask a lot of me, He asks for all of me. To be a disciple is to leave my nets—my desires, my plans, my will—and follow after Him.

The Slow, and Sometimes Frustrating, Path of Discipleship

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 16:09:00 +0000

In the aftermath of the tragic events in Charlottesville there has been a wave of criticism towards some churches and pastoral leaders who did not promptly or explicitly express the “proper” public outrage and condemnation of the white supremacists. I know priests who received highly critical, if not outright nasty, emails from parishioners. Social media has been flooded with articles, blogs, and opinions from right and left about what should or shouldn’t be said or done. More often than not, the driving factor of this controversy has been substantially colored by one’s political leaning. It is great that the internet connects us and allows the spread of information to happen in near real time, but it also compels people to give an immediate response as well. Against the advice of St. James, we become quick to speak and slow to listen.

Ultimately the challenge before us is how should a disciple of Jesus Christ respond in the face of injustice, violence, hatred, and racism? If we believe that Jesus is the Way, then how is he leading us in these turbulent times?

Unfortunately, the path of discipleship does not meet our demands for a quick fix. The way of Jesus is the way of love and that is a slow and personal process. The way of Jesus is not easy or comfortable; it calls us to die to our own selves, our own desires, our own plans and expectations.

Let’s not forget that Jesus walked the earth in a time and place of inequality, oppression, and division. Pontius Pilate and Herod ruled the land with iron fists. Tax collectors took advantage of the poor. Even the religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, exploited their positions of power. Zealots were rising up and engaging in armed resistance while the Essenes withdrew from society as the forerunners of the Benedict option. We are to be imitators of Christ, so what did Jesus say and what example did he give?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectorsdo the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Let’s rephrase what Jesus said in terms that apply to us today.

You have heard that it was said, ‘You should punch a Nazi.’ But I say to you, love the racists, and pray for the skinheads, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not white supremacistsdo the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not Antifa anarchists do the same?

Ouch.

Maybe instead of holding anti-protests filled with screaming and signs we should simply hand out bottled water to the racists, or offer to provide lunch for them? Does that sound too radical? Is it too much to ask? I have to confess that it’s not my idea, but St. Paul’s advice, “Rather, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.” (Romans 12:20-21)

As I watched the news reports and videos of the protests and violence, and while I took in the Facebook commentaries, and as I shook my head at our President’s tweets I was convicted of one simple truth. The white nationalists and the Antifa radicals and the social commentators and our politicians were all acting out of a place of fear. Fear of losing control. Fear of the “other”. Fear of opinions and backlash. Fear of political ramifications. If you strip away the hate and anger and grandstanding, if you pull back the curtain, you find that the Great and Terrible Oz is really just a small person living in fear of what he or she cannot control.

This is why it is so important to combat hate with love. This is why Jesus pleads with us to love our enemies. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18) It’s spiritual jujutsu, using the aggressor’s force against them. A fire can only burn if you continue to feed it fuel. Love sucks the oxygen out of fear, it strips it of its power. Hate can huff and puff, but it cannot bring down the brick house of love.

Once again, consider Jesus as our example. He was certainly not blind to the social issues and injustices of his time, but his primary concern was the individual conversion of heart of the people he encountered. Whether it was Nicodemus the Pharisee (John 3:1-21), the woman at the well (John 4:4-42), Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10), or the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13), Christ’s method was maddeningly slow but deliberate. Christ resisted the temptation to segment people into groups—religious leaders, social outcasts, the “one-percenters”, the systemic oppressors. He knew that one life deeply impacted by love, could have a great impact on others.

Change in the Kingdom of God happens slowly. It doesn’t always move at the speed or direction that we want. It comes only at the expense of our very lives lived in a radical way of love.

A Matter of Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 03:26:00 +0000

People often look at the four Gospels and wonder why there are slight differences between them. They all share the same essential message, that Jesus was the Son of God in the flesh who lived and died and rose from the dead. Yet each Gospel has it's own particular lens of looking at Jesus: to Matthew Jesus is the Messiah, to Mark he is the Lord, to Luke he is the Divine Healer, and for John the Son of God. Vatican II's document on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, tells us that scripture is "the words of God, expressed in the words of men" (DV 13).

By way of analogy, this video does a great job of showing how different photographers, trying to emphasize a particular idea, produced different views of the same man. Again, like the Gospels, the essence of the man photographed is the same, the lighting, angle, and setting give different perspectives.

Reflecting on the Last Words of Christ (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 13:00:00 +0000

[Note: These reflections were originally posted for Lent 2011.]

"I thirst." (John 19:28)

It’s approaching three o’clock in the afternoon. For nearly 20 hours Jesus has endured torturous treatment at the hands of the chief priests and Romans. He’s been tried, beaten, scourged, dragged his cross through the city and finally nailed to it. Since noon he’s hung on the cross, the hot sun beating down on him. He called to mind Psalm 22 when he cried out, “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” That Psalm goes on to describe his condition when it says, “My mouth is dried up like clay, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.”

But, Christ's thirst was for more than water, and his words call out to each of us today just as they did to those at the foot of the cross. Jesus thirsts for us. Stop and think about that for a moment. God longs for us. His desire for us isn't born out of necessity, as if there is something lacking in God, but springs from his love for us. He longs for us to know him because he knows that only then will we be fulfilled. The only thing that will bring us true joy and healing is relationship with him and he thirsts for us to enter into that peace.

At the same time we thirst for God whether we realize it or not. In the words of the Psalmist, "As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. My being thirsts for God, the living God." (Ps 42) When Jesus called out from the cross those standing nearby offered him a sponge soaked in vinegar to drink. Have you ever tried to drink straight vinegar? It's not exactly a thirst quencher. Yet every day we choose the vinegar of sin to try to quench our thirst rather than come to Jesus who offers living water.

Jesus calls out from the cross to let us know that he longs for us who unknowingly thirst for him. This Lenten season may we choose to drink deeply of the living water Jesus offers through having a personal relationship with him.

"It is finished" (John 19:30)

"Father into your hands I commend my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

When the Allied Forces successfully invaded France on D-Day it marked the beginning of the end of World War II. That victory all but assured the ultimate defeat of the Nazis. It was only a matter of time to finish the job. Certainly there were many more battles to fight, but once the Allies were able to establish their front lines there was no hope for a German victory.

Jesus came preaching, "The Kingdom of God is near!" Jesus spoke more about the establishment of God's Kingdom than anything else. All that he did was oriented towards this message. The miracles he performed were signs of the presence of the Kingdom. He cast out demons, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and forgave sins all to demonstrate that in the Kingdom of God there is no enemy, no disease, no blindness, and no sin. In short, Jesus came to establish a beachhead for the Kingdom of God to defeat the works of the devil and redeem our fallen world.

Hanging on the cross, Jesus was aware that he had accomplished his mission. By his death and coming resurrection he would guarantee God's victory over sin and death. He had withstood all that Satan and this world could throw at him. He wrestled with the weakness of human nature and triumphed through obedience. He took on our loneliness, fear, and pain. He endured insults, curses and temptation. He did it all, and when the last enemy, death itself, came to claim him he proclaimed, "It is finished" and entrusted himself to his Father. He gave his life; it was not taken from him.

Jesus' victory on the cross won our salvation and liberated us from sin and death, just like the people of Nazi occupied territories were freed by the Allies after D-Day. There are still many battles ahead and the way is not easy. The enemy stills claim victims and inflicts casualties while fighting a losing effort. But we can draw strength from knowing that while there are battles to fight the war has been won. If we endure we will win. This is what Paul means when he writes:

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:37-39)

As our Lenten journey draws to a close let us look forward with hope that we too can experience the power and presence of God's Kingdom in our lives as we wait for the day when the last battle is done and we can enter into the rest that Jesus has prepared for us.

Reflecting on the Last Words of Christ (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 13:10:00 +0000

[Note: These reflections were originally posted for Lent 2011.]

"Woman, behold your son…Behold your mother." (John 19:26-27)

Just a few weeks ago we celebrated the feast of the Annunciation. As we listen to the final words of Jesus before his death and resurrection we also call to mind the words of Mary to the angel, "Be it done unto me according to your will." How similar is Mary's abandonment to the will of God as her own son's prayer in the garden the night before he died, "Not my will but your will be done." Here at the cross the obedience of Mary and Jesus come together to free us from our slavery to sin so that we may use our will to say yes to God as well.

In these simple words Jesus entrusts his own mother to the Church, represented by the beloved disciple, and the Church to his mother. We can be confident that as we look to Mary she will always lead us to her son. She was there when he was conceived, there when he performed his first miracle, there when he sacrificed his life for us, and there when he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Scripture tells us that along the way Mary pondered these things in heart. She is our model for living a contemplative life of reflecting on what God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives.

May we follow the example of the beloved disciple and take Mary into our homes. May we learn from her humility and faith in God. She said yes when it wasn't convenient to do so. She trusted God even when she couldn't fully understand how he would fulfill his promise. She accepted the joys and sorrows equally because she ultimately knew that God was in control and could be trusted to "work all things together for the good of those who trust in him." May our prayer be that Mary, our mother, will reveal her son to us in ways that are new and meaningful to transform our lives by the power of his cross and resurrection.

"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)

Where was God when terrorists attacked churches in Egypt on Palm Sunday? Where was he when women and children were gassed in Syria? Is he all powerful but uncaring, or is he all loving but impotent? Where is God when over 1 million abortions take place each year in United States alone? Why did God allow the cancer to return? Where is God when life hurts?

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” Jesus cried out from the cross with the very questions that shake our faith. The great Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar reflected on the depths of the suffering Jesus endured for us on the cross. In his homily, “The Scapegoat and the Trinity”, he said,

“Jesus, the Crucified, endures our inner darkness and estrangement from God, and he does so in our place. It is all the more painful for him, the less he has merited it ... there is nothing familiar about it to him: It is utterly alien and full of horror. Indeed, he suffers more deeply than an ordinary man is capable of suffering, even were he condemned and rejected by God, because only the incarnate Son knows who the Father really is and what it means to be deprived of him, to have lost him (to all appearances) forever. It is meaningless to call this suffering ‘hell,’ for there is no hatred of God in Jesus, only a pain that is deeper and more timeless than the ordinary man could endure either in his lifetime or after his death.”

As Catholics we reject the notion that the Father could forsake the Son; that God could turn away from God. But Jesus was not merely God, he was the God-man and in his humanity, hanging on that cross it is not beyond reason to see that he felt abandoned and forsaken. In that moment, in the midst of suffering that goes beyond what we could imagine, in the fullness of his human nature Jesus experienced that dark night of the soul when it seems that even God has turned away.

What does this have to do with answering questions about evil in the world? How does this apply to the problems of our pain and suffering? Because the Son of God passed through the way of suffering he was able to redeem our pain. It means that though this world is fallen and broken we must pass through the way of suffering, the way of the cross, if we want to experience the joy and glory of the resurrection. The good news is that we have a Savior that will go through it with us, or as Catholic author Melinda Selmys explains, “For Christ, in being forsaken on the cross, entered into this, the deepest of human sufferings, so that even in the greatest darkness we will never be alone.”

Reflecting on the Last Words of Christ (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 18:52:00 +0000

[Note: These reflections were originally posted for Lent 2011.]

"Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)

Dr. Bernard Nathanson passed away on February 21, 2011. Dr. Nathanson was a leader of the pro-abortion movement and founding member of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL, now the National Abortion Rights Action League). He estimated that he had supervised or performed over 75,000 abortions including the abortion of his own child. He admitted that he and his associates purposely feed misinformation to the media and deliberately attacked the Catholic Church in order to change public opinion to support legalizing abortion in the late 1960’s. Then something happened. Dr. Nathanson started to question the pro-abortion claim that the unborn child was merely a collection of cells and not a human life.

A longtime atheist, Nathanson still continued to support abortion rights despite his growing doubts until the mid-1980’s when he finally became convinced through advances in medical science that abortion was, in his words, "unjustifiable murder." He then helped to produce one of the most famous pro-life videos, The Silent Scream. Nathanson devoted the rest of his days to fighting legalized abortion. More significantly, he came to faith in God and was baptized into the Catholic Church in 1996.

At the moment of his baptism, every sin he had ever committed, every abortion, every lie, was forgiven. Think about that for a moment. The guilt of 75,000 murders was wiped away, cast as far as the east is from the west. It doesn’t seem fair. It doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t he have to pay for all those innocent lives he claimed? Welcome to the scandal of the cross.

When I think about it, really think about it, I want Bernard Nathanson to be completely washed clean. I don’t want him to have to pay for his sins because I know I can’t pay for mine. If God can forgive Dr. Nathanson then I know he can forgive me. The cross means there is nothing I can do that’s too big for God to forgive. This is what St. Paul had in mind when he wrote, “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:21)

Forgiveness is the meaning and purpose of the cross. Jesus focuses our attention on this fact by praying for the forgiveness of his executioners. Most victims of crucifixion shouted out curses at their executioners, Jesus cried out for mercy for them. Nowhere else is the scandal of the mercy and grace of God on display more than at the cross. Humanity’s greatest sin, killing God's Son, is met by God’s greatest display of love, the life of his Son given for us.

"I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

Tradition tells us the name of the Good Thief was St. Dismas. We know nothing of his life other than the fact that he was sentenced to crucifixion for being a criminal. Many would say that his final act was to steal heaven on that Good Friday. After the first thief mocks and scorns Jesus, Dismas rebukes him and offers a simple request to be remembered by Jesus. Somehow he recognized in the beaten, bruised and broken body of Jesus what the crowds of Jerusalem could not or would not see. Somehow he was able to see Jesus as the King of Kings ready to enter into his kingdom. His simple act of faith was rewarded by Christ’s promise of salvation.

It’s easy to be skeptical of death row confessions. We hear how hardened criminals suddenly “find Jesus” when it seems most convenient for them and it’s difficult not to react with some level of incredulity. We often ask ourselves how God could be so gullible as to accept the last minute “conversion” of someone who appears only to be trying to avoid going to hell. It seems unfair that someone who devotes their life to serving and following God and someone who ignores God until their final days would both be welcomed into heaven together.

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who goes to town in the morning and hires men to work in his vineyard for a set wage. The man goes back to town near noon and again in the late afternoon each time hiring more workers for his vineyard. At the end of the day he pays all of the men the same amount. The men hired in the morning grumbled because they thought they should get more. He reminds them that they agreed to work for the price they were paid and tells them not to be envious of his generosity.

Does this mean that we can put off conversion so we can do what we want? Certainly not, for no one knows when their life will be required of them. Jesus and the scriptures are clear that we must remain faithful and vigilant. The moral of the story is not that the wicked prosper by fooling God, but that God's mercy knows no bounds and is always available to us. Indeed, it is God who makes a fool of the devil by mercifully accepting those who call on him even with their last breath.

Jesus’ words to the Good Thief should give us all hope. While we have breath, it is never too late for any of us to turn to Jesus. It's not too late for the friend or family member we love who has turned from God to come back to him.

Lord of Lunatics and Liars

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 19:37:00 +0000

This election cycle has seen its share of incivility, name-calling, insults, lies, and crudeness. It’s not a stretch to say that it’s brought out the worst in many people. Whether it’s the Wikileaks emails revealing corruption, bigotry, and arrogance from the Hillary camp, or the leaked video tapes (and outright public comments) from Trump displaying misogynistic, narcissistic, and immature behavior it is clear that the 2016 election has been better suited for a Jerry Springer episode than the selection process for the leader of the free world. A simple survey of Facebook posts and comments shows how deeply divided our nation is, and how winning political points is more important than the methods used to get there.

This all reached a new low on the eve of the election when Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life posted two videos (one on Facebook, one on YouTube) in which he displayed the body of a child killed during a second trimester saline abortion on an altar while delivering a political speech urging people to vote for Trump and the Republicans. (I’m not going to post a link to either video as it is too disturbing.)

After a wave of negative reactions Fr. Pavone has essentially doubled down on his position by deflecting blame to abortionists and Democrats while attacking or belittling his critics. For Fr. Pavone, the atrocity of abortion is so great, and the need for political victory so desperate, that his action is completely justified. In his view, crudely displaying a child’s naked body on an altar dedicated for sacred use to deliver a political speech pales in comparison to the evil of abortion. In other words, the ends justify the means.

This kind of thinking and acting is never morally acceptable. Suppose a fictional Priest Against Porn ministry wanted to drive home the importance of standing against pornography. They reason that perhaps many are ambivalent about porn because they haven’t seen it or been exposed to how graphically disordered it can be, so they decide to post a video of their leader speaking against pornography while in the foreground a naked woman gyrates provocatively. Would this be okay? What if they were taking a stand against sexual violence so they displayed a woman who had just been raped, still weeping and shaking. Would the seriousness of standing against rape justify the exhibition of a victim?

Abortion is a great moral evil, a sin that cries out from our blood soaked land for justice. It is a legal, state-sponsored holocaust that has claimed the lives of millions of children. Abortion is, as St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “the greatest destroyer of love and peace” in the world. But, abortion is not our nation’s greatest sin, nor is it our greatest spiritual struggle. It is only a symptom, a natural consequence of a much deeper, much graver depravity.

We are guilty of and in bondage to idolatry.

I am not just speaking of our secular, hedonistic culture. I’m talking about those who claim the name of Christian. Survey after survey often shows little difference in the moral behavior of believers vs. non-believers. Our national religion is the adoration of the Self. Pride was the original sin and it continues to plague us today, individually and communally.

We have turned from God and towards ourselves. We seek only that which brings pleasure, confirms our biases, and keeps us comfortable. College campuses today promote “safe spaces” free of offensive words, thoughts, or actions; and they are often mocked and criticized for it. In reality, we have all created our own safe spaces in which we insulate ourselves from the call of Christ to “be transformed” rather than conformed to this age.

Jesus stands and calls us to follow, and that implies that we must leave our lives, or dreams, our desires behind. He calls us out of our selves, in fact, he calls us to die to our selves. As Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” This death to the self brings ultimate freedom and joy. It liberates us not only from our self-centered desires, but also from our fears through abandonment to Christ. He calls us out from the world around us into a new order, a new Kingdom.

This political season has been a challenging one for those called by Christ to follow him. In truth, the Christian life does not easily fit within any earthly political system, and never has. The choice presented to us, what one 60 Minutes focus group called a choice between “the liar and the lunatic”, has caused many well-intentioned Christians to say and do some very out of character things. Those opposed to Clinton’s rapid pro-abortion position have found themselves in the unenviable position of supporting and defending Trump just because he claims to be “pro-life”.

This brings me back to the morally repugnant stunt that Fr. Pavone is trying to justify. I believe Fr. Pavone is motivated out of a true desire to see an end to the holocaust of abortion. I believe that he really believes that what he’s doing is necessary, right and effective. However, I wonder if this isn’t a fearful act of idolatry, of placing hope and trust in a man (Trump), or a party (Republicans), or a system (politics) rather than trusting in God. Is this just playing down to the level of your adversary? Is it morally compromising in hopes of gaining a political win? What does it profit a man (or a country) to win an election but loose his soul?

I saw a meme that said, “The problem with the election is that one of them is going to win.” So true. Today we will elect the most unpopular presidential candidate ever. Tomorrow half the nation is going to feel defeated, cheated, confused, and scared. Regardless of who wins, our nation is going to be confronted with serious issues from terrorism to the economy to the treat of war to moral and religious social challenges. As Christians we must remember that Christ is our King and heaven our homeland. We need to earnestly pray for the blessing and conversion of whoever wins the election. I close with the advice of St. Paul to St. Timothy (remember who the political leaders were when this was written):

“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Learning to Endure

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 00:31:00 +0000

The mass readings for Sunday (7/24), the seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, present us with a teaching about prayer, more specifically intercessory prayer.

In the first reading Abraham negotiates with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As God contemplates destroying the cities for their rampant sins, Abraham pleads with God to spare them for the sake of a righteous few. In the back and forth conversation Abraham starts with asking for mercy if merely fifty righteous could be found, gradually lowing the number down to ten.

There are some who look at this passage and see a vengeful God ready to smote while kind Abraham has to argue with him to save the cities. It’s the same kind of situation when we see Moses pleading for mercy on behalf of Israel before the Lord. So what’s the deal? Why does God make Abraham and Moses plead for mercy? Isn’t God merciful? It is difficult for many to read these stories and understand what God is doing, especially when the focus is placed on God’s wrath.

The Gospel reading from Luke presents us with Jesus’ teaching on prayer and provides the interpretive key to understanding the reading from Genesis. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Keep in mind that as good Jews they likely followed to religious commands to pray, and pray daily. The Jews had specific guidelines for prayer. So why ask Jesus to teach them? I would argue that it was because they watched Jesus pray, they took note of his prayer life and realized there was something different about it from their own experiences.

In response, Jesus first gives them the prayer we know as the Our Father. It is a prayer unto itself and a model of prayer. He then tells the parable of the man asking his neighbor for bread in the middle of the night. This man seemingly pesters his neighbor until the neighbor agrees to just be left alone. Jesus even says as much, “I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.”

So what does this have to do with Abraham? Is Jesus saying if we just pester God enough he’ll give us what we ask for just to shut us up because we’re bothering him?

Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock—in the Greek these verbs are more like keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. He assures us that God is a loving, caring Father who knows our needs and will not deceive us or withhold from us. How does this fit with the story of Abraham and the parable Jesus told about the persistent neighbor?

God always has our ultimate greatest end in mind, he is always most concerned about forming his children so that we can be fully restored to his image and likeness. The point of the conversation with Abraham (or similar conversations with Moses) isn’t that these men somehow managed to change God’s mind, but that through their perseverance in prayer their own hearts are changed. In pleading for mercy on behalf of others the hearts of Abraham and Moses are moved to mercy themselves. They become less self-centered, self-focused and become truly concerned for others. When we keep pressing on in intercessory prayer, the longer and harder we press in the more our hearts are transformed. God knows our needs and he will “work all things together for the good of those who love him” but that good is always the highest and perfect good. We never see the big picture, we never truly know all of the facts, but Jesus calls us to keep seeking after God and his kingdom. He wants us to be transformed while resting in the knowledge that God always cares for us.

Bearing the Fruit of a Culture of Death

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 21:18:00 +0000

I believe the Unites States of America is truly one of the greatest civilizations in the history of mankind. As a nation it has contributed to the safety, security, and prosperity of not just itself but most of the world through the innovation and generosity of its citizens and the socio-economic and political example of its government. This is not to say that it is perfect.

America has a problem. It’s a problem that’s been there since its very beginning. It’s like a congenital birth defect—a problem that is rooted in the very DNA of the nation: Violence.

It was violent resistance that brought our nation into existence. It was violent oppression against Native American that fueled its expansion. It was violent and bloody war that ended the violent and dehumanizing practice of slavery. Violence against the family through abortion and divorce has been a means of economic gain for many. The option of resulting to violent means to address and solve whatever problems we face is a very real and present solution for too many.

Today as I’ve read and watch the coverage of the shooting of Dallas police officers in the wake of protests of police in Louisiana and Minnesota shooting black men I cannot help but see this same disease of violence wreaking havoc on our nation again.

This disease is not caused by economic disparity. It is not the result of racism. It is not political. These are only symptoms. Our nation suffers from a spiritual disease, our soul is sick. There is a cure, but many don’t want it, they’re too content to profit from the symptoms.

The Old Testament (2 Kings 5) tells the story of Naaman, the commander of the armies of Syria. He was stricken with leprosy and the king of Syria sent him with an entire entourage, gold, silver, and riches to seek healing from the God of Israel. The prophet Elisha sent a message to Naaman to wash in the Jordan River. When he received the message Naaman at first was insulted and refused to even consider the idea of washing in some puny Israelite river. It was then that his servant asked him if he would have done some great and heroic deed if that was what the prophet requested, and if so, then why not do this simple thing? Naaman relented, washed in the Jordan, and was healed of his leprosy.

Like Naaman our culture is suffering from a fatal disease that is slowly, yet progressively eating us alive. We have become a culture of death embracing every form of immorality and ridiculing the virtuous life. Pundits and politicians and every other sort of talking head will discuss the recent acts of violence, just as they did after the Orlando shooting, and they’ll search for motives. They will propose all sorts of ideas, programs and laws to act as a medicine to heal our land. Like Naaman, they will recommend buying a cure with millions of dollars in new programs and initiatives. They will want to do many great things, but they will shun and ridicule the one simple, and only real cure, Jesus.

The only escape from the death spiral our nation finds itself in is to turn to the Lord of Life to rescue us from the culture of death. The only true antidote to hate, racism, and fear is love. The only light in darkness is the Light of World, and the challenge to the Church is to bring that light and that love to others. We must rise above the Balkanizing efforts to divide along political, racial, or economic lines and fully demonstrate to the world the unity of being in Christ Jesus.

Unfortunately, this will come at a price. It is the medicine our world needs, but not what it wants. Like a petulant child it will fight and kick and scream against us. It will resist with the hope that we will give up. We must be faithful and selfless. We must be willing to love as Jesus loved, even to the point of laying down our lives for the love of others.

"Follow Me"

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 02:52:00 +0000

As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,"I will follow you wherever you go."
Jesus answered him,"Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." And to another he said, "Follow me."
But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father."
But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
And another said, "I will follow you, Lord,but first let me say farewell to my family at home."
To him Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plowand looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:57-62

“Follow me.” This is the invitation Jesus offers. Not, “Believe in me.” Not, “Be my friend.”

“Follow me.” It is the invitation to discipleship. It is an invitation that calls us outside of ourselves, outside of our comfort zones, outside of the boat and onto the water amid the wind and the waves.

It is an invitation to the unknown and the uncertain. It is an invitation without the promise of worldly success or prosperity. It is an invitation that sometimes mean doing the insensible thing, the unexpected thing, even the irrational thing.

This passage hit me between the eyes today.

In only two weeks I’ll be leaving my safe, well paying, stable job of thirteen years. I’m leaving it to follow the call and leading of Christ. In just two weeks I will temporarily leave my family behind in Florida to start a new job as Director of Adult Faith Formation at a great parish in Indiana. They’ll follow me once we’ve closed on the sale of our home and the purchase of a new one in the Hoosier State. But for at least a few weeks I’ll essentially following in the footsteps of Jesus with no place to lay my head. I’’ have to rely on the kindness of a family at our new parish to give me a place to stay. I’ll be leaving behind my wife, kids, friends, and comforts. It’s a little scary, but it’s exciting. As a family we are so excited and looking forward to all that God has in store for us in this next chapter of our lives. Still, sometimes I feel a little like Indiana Jones in this scene:

Jesus calls all of us to leave all behind for him. He’s the pearl of great price, the treasure in a field waiting for us to sell all we have so we can possess him. And yet, it’s really he who possesses us. It is the Lord who calls us to radical abandonment, to complete and unwavering trust in his goodness. That call comes in different ways to each of us, but make no mistake it comes to all. For some it’s a career change or a move, for others it’s greater involvement in a ministry, still others it may be a call to repent and rebuild relationships, or maybe for others it’s speaking up when everything in you wants to remain silent. Whatever the form, the call will always be costly, but it will always be worth it in the end. Missionary martyr Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose.”

If we ultimately want to see the reality of God breaking through and into our lives we must take the leap of faith. Someone I greatly respected once said that faith is spelled R-I-S-K, and that in the end we must be willing to see ourselves “change in God’s pocket to be spent as he sees fit.” I believe the Church isn’t seeing the miraculous on a regular basis because so many are content to be “believers” and have either not heard, ignored, or are too afraid to follow the call to be disciples, to follow Jesus.

I’m reminded of the song “Called Me Higher” by All Sons and Daughters. We can be safe and content, but that’s not what God is calling us to. In the words of Pope Benedict, “The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Dare to be great. Dare to trust Jesus with everything. Drop your nets. Leave your boats. Listen to him, “Follow me.”

Where Have All the Heroes Gone

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Wed, 25 May 2016 18:35:00 +0000

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where's the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life

- “I need a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler

We have become a culture of the anti-hero. Three of the top five grossing movies so far this year are: Captain America: Civil War, Batman vs Superman, and Deadpool. These movies present traditional heroes at war with each other or a lead anti-hero character who has no good moral character of his own. As Fr. Longnecker over on Patheos has so eloquently put it, our presidential choices are between “a corrupt, scheming, immoral, venal, arrogant, greedy and ignorant Republican or a corrupt, scheming, immoral, venal, arrogant and ignorant Democrat.” We have an entire multi-million dollar celebrity media enterprise that on one hand promotes morally questionable pop stars while gleefully awaiting and publicizing the moral failures of others. Meanwhile even our athletic heroes have tarnished their legacies through scandals.

As our culture continues to detach itself from moral sanity I think this cult of the anti-hero will continue to grow. There’s something about the classical hero—a strong, confident, morally straight leader—that makes our current culture uncomfortable. If we hold up such characters as exemplars then we must admit that our own priorities as a culture and nation have gone askew. This is why we must now attack the hero. Marvel Comics recently announced a new line of Captain America comics that reveal that he has secretly been a covert agent for the Nazi Hydra organization all along. Groups of fans have started online movements to make Captain America gay or Elsa a lesbian queen in the upcoming sequel to Frozen. Like the primitive pagan cultures of antiquity we are fashioning gods in our image, that affirm our hedonistic desires, and that do not challenge us to a higher, more difficult way of self-denial or sacrifice.

In a 2009 letter to all the bishops of the world, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “In our days, when in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel, the overriding priority is to make God present in this world and to show men and women the way to God. Not just any god, but the God who spoke on Sinai; to that God whose face we recognize in a love which presses "to the end" – in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. The real problem at this moment of our history is that God is disappearing from the human horizon, and, with the dimming of the light which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects.” We are certainly a culture that has lost its bearings. Fortunately, in diagnosing the problem, Benedict also provides the cure: Christians making Jesus Christ present in the world.

This isn’t an easy answer, and it will require much of us who are called by His name. We must live lives that match our words. We must live heroically virtuous lives of holiness that will draw people into encountering Jesus in and through us. In short, we need to be saints. The world needs us to be saints. In the words of St. Pope John Paul II in announcing the 2005 World Youth Day, "the Church needs genuine witnesses for the new evangelization: men and women whose lives have been transformed by meeting with Jesus, men and women who are capable of communicating this experience to others. The Church needs saints. All are called to holiness, and holy people alone can renew humanity.”

Mary At The Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 17:31:00 +0000

“So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them

But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:17-18, 25-27)

It is only John’s gospel that tells us that Mary was at the cross. Only John who recorded the dying words of Jesus addressed to his mother. It was only John because he was there too.

It seems odd, even a bit cold, that Jesus would call his mother “woman”. But this one word carries so much weight.

Eve was the first woman and it is by “woman” that she is addressed in Genesis 3: “The serpent said to the woman”.

Eve stood at the foot of the tree in the garden. Eve chose to believe the lie of the devil. She looked up at the fruit hanging on the tree with purely physical eyes, considering its beauty. Eve lost faith, and disobeyed. She did this because she was promised greater understanding and knowledge. Scripture then tells us that Eve handed the fruit to Adam. God rebukes Adam, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife, and eaten of the fruit of the tree…”

Mary, whom the Fathers of the Church called the new Eve, stood at the foot of the cross which would become the Tree of Life. Where Eve believed a lie, Mary believed in the promises of God, that her son was the Messiah and Savior of the word, the King of an everlasting kingdom. Where Eve brought the fruit of sin to Adam, Mary brought the “fruit of her womb” to Elizabeth, and John recognized the presence of Jesus in the voice of Mary and leapt for joy in the womb. Where Eve’s words to Adam brought a curse, Mary’s words to Elizabeth brought a blessing.

Imagine Mary at the cross looking upon the cruel execution of her son. They say that losing a child is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can deal with—and I hope I never do. She had to have been thinking about the words of the Angel so many years before,

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

St. Augustine said that “Mary first conceived in her heart by faith and then in her womb” And now at the cross as she looks at her son she receives a second annunciation of sorts. She is asked once again to become a mother, the mother of the Church born from the blood and water flowing from the side of Christ. She becomes my mother, your mother, the mother of all believers at the cross.

There’s a scene in the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince where Dumbledore says to Harry, “Once again I must ask too much of you.” Once again, so much is asked of Mary. To take on the burden of being the mother of all the faithful, is also asking her to take on the heartbreak of all who lose faith, all who reject Jesus, and even those who would accept her son, but reject her. But once again she says yes.

This brings me back again to that word: woman. Jesus calls his mother “woman” one other time in John’s gospel, at the wedding at Cana. The bridal party has run out of wine. This was much more of a big deal in that time and culture than we really appreciate now. It was a crisis. Mary’s response was to intercede with Jesus on behalf of the bride and groom. She brought the troubled servants to Jesus and told them “Do whatever he tells you.”

John ran, just like all the other apostles. He followed Jesus at a distance during the trials. But only John came to the cross. Is it a coincidence that he was there with Mary? I suspect that John went to Mary and it was she that brought him with her to Calvary. Once again Mary was leading a troubled servant, in a crisis, to her son. And John did as Jesus told him; he took Mary into his home.

As the “beloved disciple” John is supposed to represent all who would follow Jesus. When reading the gospel of John we should be putting ourselves in the place of the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. We should allow Mary to lead us to Jesus, to the cross, to learn from her how to fully and completely surrender everything to God. To come to Jesus and learn from him what he would have us do.

(Note:This is a re-posting of an older blog post a few updates.)

Being Before Doing

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 19:33:00 +0000

Two scripture passages that I encountered last past weekend got me thinking.

On Saturday I attended a conference and one of the speakers used the story of Gideon in his presentation. Gideon lived in Israel at a time when the nation was under the control of its enemies. Many Israelites went into hiding to avoid being persecuted. Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press in order to hide from his enemies so they wouldn’t steal his wheat. While he was carrying out his chore in fear and hiding an angel of the Lord appeared to him and greeted him saying, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior!” (Judges 6:12) Gideon went on to lead Israel to repent of their idolatry and drove the enemy Midianites out of the land.

Sunday was the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord when Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River. After coming up from the waters the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus and a voice from the heavens proclaims, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) The event of his baptism marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus.

The thing that struck me as I thought about these two passages is that being preceded doing. They were affirmed in who they were before they did anything. Gideon wasn’t acting like a mighty warrior, but that was his true identity before God and it was proven in his deeds. Jesus certainly didn’t look like the Son of God to those around him, but that was his true identity and it was manifested in all that he did, and ultimately in his death and resurrection.

How often we get that backwards. We allow ourselves, our self-worth, to be defined by what we do. I must not be special because I’m not doing anything special. I must not have great worth because I don’t have much net worth. In reality, we must first understand who we are to the One who made us and let that be shone forth in all that we do. I am forgiven. I am loved. I am a child of God. That means that everything I do has importance, meaning, relevance, and eternal consequences. Gideon had to take some baby steps. He tested the Lord, but slowly he began to believe and to grow into his God-given identity. That’s when God was able to use Gideon to be a blessing to others. That’s when others began to see the blessing of God upon Gideon.

Giving What You've Got

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:17:00 +0000

Today is the feast of St. John Neumann, the first American saint. He was born in what is now the Czech Republic in Eastern Europe. Upon completing seminary he was initially denied ordination because his diocese had too many priests (imagine that). His desire to become a priest was so strong that he left his homeland and came to the United States where the bishop of New York ordained him. At the time he was one of 36 priests serving 200,000 Catholics and his parish boundary stretched from western New York to Pennsylvania. In fact, in my home town of McKeesport, PA, there was a parish that he visited and preached at in 1846. He eventually became bishop of Philadelphia where he started the Catholic school system in America. He was widely regarded for his great love and pastoral care.

St. John Neumann was a living example of the story shared in the Gospel reading for today, the feeding of the 5,000 (Mark 6:34-44). Like the meager offering of five loaves and two fish, John Neumann offered the all that he had, little and poor as it was, and Jesus took that offering and multiplied it many times over as a blessing and provision for others. It is a reminder that when we give to God what we have, even though it may seem insignificant, he can do great things with it.

I know my temptation is to hold back. I want my offering to God to be perfect. I often feel that if I can’t have the “perfect” prayer time I might as well not pray. If I can’t come up with the “perfect” blog I might as well not write anything. If I can’t use my gifts in the “perfect” manner I might as well not bother at all. That is not the lesson of the feeding of the 5,000; and it is not the lesson of St. John Neumann’s life. All God asks is that I give him what I have. If it’s imperfect, he can make it perfect. He makes up the difference. He brings about the miraculous. He multiplies whatever I have to give, if only I give it. In that moment of surrender, when I give him my little offering of loaves and fishes, he is pleased and he can work with it.

(Click here for sourcing of biographical info on St. John Neumann)

The End is the Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Tom Ponchak) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 16:06:00 +0000

Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday is the third Sunday of the Advent Season. It is a Sunday of transition in the season as the liturgical color changes for the week from violet to rose and the focus changes from looking forward to the Second Coming of Jesus to preparing to celebrate his first coming. Before moving on to the second half of Advent, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the first two weeks of the season.

Advent is a time when we remember the Incarnation and prepare to celebrate Christmas, but it is also a time to remember that Christ will come again. The readings in the mass for the first two weeks focus our attention on our mortality, the return of Jesus, and the Kingdom to come. I attended two different parishes during the first two weeks of Advent. Both Sundays the priest’s homily was rightly focused on these themes of remembering our end, and the end of the world. Both homilies were very good, yet both priests approached the idea of the end of our lives and the end of this world with hesitation. They commented how we all want to go to heaven, but no one is in a rush to get there. That got me thinking.

All of us want to live a long, healthy life. We want to see our children grow up, and see our grandchildren. No one likes to think or talk about death. Although there’s certainly nothing wrong with this, shouldn’t we desire heaven and the return of Jesus more fervently than we do? When you read the New Testament epistles and even the Book of Revelation there is an excitement and eagerness for the Lord’s return. In fact, the bible ends with the prayerful exclamation “Maranatha!” meaning “Come Lord Jesus!”

The early church was almost impatient for the Lord to return. Today, most of us would rather he wait.

Some consider hoping for Christ’s immanent return to be a form of escapism for those overwhelmed with the burdens of life, fearful of the state of the world, or overcome by rapid, unsettling cultural changes. To be sure, there are those who do have this mindset. In fact, the entire theology of the rapture—a predominantly nineteenth century Protestant doctrinal invention—is formed around this idea of escaping from the world. But this idea of escapism is much different than the hopeful expectation of the early church.

The early Christians longed for Christ’s return because they knew the end was only the beginning. They knew that we were not made for this earth, but to spend eternity with God. They recognized that no matter what treasures, fame, or wealth this world has to offer is ultimately “garbage” (Phil. 3:8), that all of the pain, suffering, and trials we face only prepare us for an “eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). The early Christians sought the end of this world because it meant being with Jesus and living in the presence of God. They weren’t looking to escape; they recognized that this life is a really long road trip and they just wanted to get home.

I used to have a card that I carried in my wallet with a simple phrase on it, “Live each day as if Jesus died yesterday, rose today, and is coming back tomorrow.” I have to confess, I don’t always follow that advice, but what would my life look like if I did? This doesn’t mean quit your job, stop paying your bills, and sit on a mountain top waiting for Jesus. It does mean, think about your choices and priorities. There is another saying similar to this (but it sounds cooler because it’s Latin), “Tempus fugit. Memento mori.” It means, “Time flies, remember your death.” It is a call to consider how I live my life.

My kids love watching “Man vs Wild”, a survival show where the host, Bear Grylls, is dropped off in some remote location and he demonstrates survival techniques. Most often, one of the first things he does is look for a high point to look out and gain a lay of the land. He’ll get his bearings, figure out what direction to travel, and pick some landmark in the distance. I know from my own days in scouting that when you’re hiking in the wild it’s always best to set a fixed landmark, because once you start walking and you have to navigate terrain or push through heavy growth, it’s easy to get turned around and lost in the trees. But, as long as you’re able to realign with the distant landmark you will know where you’re going.

This is what the author of the Letter to the Hebrews means when he writes that we should fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus endured it all because he had the end in mind. We need to constantly remember, not just during Advent, that there is an end. We should long to get there, while faithfully enduring until we do. Like anyone running a marathon, then finish line should be something we long to see and eagerly anticipate, not fear or avoid. Our hope is in Christ and he is the one leading us home. He has prepared a place for us (John 14:3). Like the early Christians let that knowledge excite us. Let us look forward to heaven like we look forward to sleeping in our own bed after a long road trip. Let us fill our hearts with the joyful cry, “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!”