Friday, September 30, 2022

Thoughts on faith

 "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed..." 


Growing up on the farm, we raised a derivative of mustard called canola (from which we get the cooking oil). It too begins as a tiny seed and becomes a very large sinewy bush of fluorescent yellow color, almost too bright to believe it is natural.


So it is with faith. It starts small, but if rooted deeply in the humility of the earth, sets roots there, and pushes up through the ground with force, eventually stretching out strong sinewy branches, offering a habitat to the birds of the air. Faith inspired by the Holy Spirit is even dauntless; absolutely anything is possible, including uprooting everything larger around it. Faith makes a way. You and I have the mustard seed of faith already; it need only be exercised through our doubts and fears, such that God will grow it. Like mustard, mature faith begins to offer flavoring to the bland food of our world, making our somewhat insipid experiences meaningful. And its blinding brightness points directly beyond the natural to the ever-more evident Supernatural.



Fr. Anthony Wieck, SJ

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Thoughts on peace

 

Peace Is the Way to Perfection

Candles in church | Photo by Pascal Müller on Unsplash


Peace is simplicity of heart, serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, the bond of love. Peace means order, harmony in our whole being; it means continual contentment springing from the knowledge of a good conscience; it is the holy joy of a heart in which God reigns. Peace is the way to perfection, indeed in peace is perfection to be found. The devil, who is well aware of all this, makes every effort to have us lose our peace.

—from the book The Joyful Spirit of Padre Pio: Stories, Letters, and Prayers

Friday, September 16, 2022

More thoughts on death

 

Preparing for Death
Some people say they are afraid of death. Others say they are not. But most people are quite afraid of dying. The slow deterioration of mind and body, the pains of a growing cancer, the ravaging effects of AIDS, becoming a burden for your friends, losing control of your movements, being talked about or spoken to with half-truths, forgetting recent events and the names of visitors—all of that and much more is what we really fear. It’s not surprising that we sometimes say: “I hope it doesn’t last long. I hope I will die through a sudden heart attack and not after a long, painful illness."

But, whatever we think or hope, the way we will die is unpredictable and our worries about it quite fruitless. Still we need to be prepared. Preparing ourselves for our deaths is the most important task of life, at least when we believe that death is not the total dissolution of our identity but the way to its fullest revelation. Death, as Jesus speaks about it, is that moment in which total defeat and total victory are one. The cross on which Jesus died is the sign of this oneness of defeat and victory. Jesus speaks about his death as being “lifted up.”

Henri Nouwen

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Thoughts on competition

 

The Pressure of Competition
One of the saddest aspects of the lives of many students is that they always feel pressured. . . . The word school, which comes from schola (meaning “free time”), reminds us that schools were originally meant to interrupt a busy existence and create some space to contemplate the mysteries of life. Today they have become the arena for a hectic race to accomplish as much as possible, and to acquire in a short period the necessary things to survive the great battle of human life. Books written to be savored slowly are read hastily to fulfill a requirement, paintings made to be seen with a contemplative eye are taken in as part of a necessary art appreciation course, and music composed to be enjoyed at leisure is listened to in order to identify a period or style. Thus, colleges and universities meant to be places for quiet learning have become places of fierce competition, in which the rewards go to those who produce the most and the best.

Henri Nouwen

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Thoughts on death

 

Choosing How to Live Death
You and I have to trust that our short little lives can bear fruit far beyond the boundaries of our chronologies. But we have to choose this and trust deeply that we have a spirit to send that will bring joy, peace, and life to those who will remember us. Francis of Assisi died in 1226, but he is still very much alive! His death was a true gift, and today, nearly eight centuries later, he continues to fill his brothers and sisters, within and without the Franciscan orders, with great energy and life. He died, but never died. His spirit keeps descending upon us. More than ever I am convinced that death can, indeed, be chosen as our final gift of life.

Henri Nouwen

Saturday, September 3, 2022

Thoughts on mercy

 

God Is Mercy
The older we become, the more we realize how limited we are in our ability to love, how impure our hearts are, and how complex our motivations are. And there is a real temptation to want to look inside of ourselves and clean it all out, and become people with a pure heart, unstained intentions, and unconditional love. Such an attempt is doomed to failure and leads us to ever greater despair. The more we look into ourselves and try to figure ourselves out, the more we become entangled in our own imperfections. Indeed, we cannot save ourselves. Only Jesus can save us. That is why it is so important to remove your inner eye away from the complexities of your own broken heart toward the pure but broken heart of Jesus. Looking at him and his immense mercy will give you the ability to accept your own imperfections and to really let yourself be cared for by the mercy and love of Jesus.

I remember how Thomas Merton once wrote: “God is mercy in mercy in mercy.” This means that the more we come to know ourselves, the more we come to know God’s mercy, which is beyond the mercy we know. Letting go of the desire to be perfect lovers, and allowing God to love our people through us, that is the great spiritual call that is given to you and to me. There in the pure heart of God, embraced by his unconditional love, you will find the true joy and peace your heart is longing for.

Henri Nouwen


Thursday, September 1, 2022

Thoughts on God

 

A Hidden God of Love

hand in running water | Photo by Tony Mucci on Unsplash


The God of the mystics is not the God of the philosophers, not the God who sits in heaven watching over creation in judgment. Rather it is the hidden God who pours out his love for the beloved, a God who lets go of being God to be God for us. Being in relationship with this God of outpouring love does not insulate us from destruction or calamity. We are not exempt from the sufferings of life. On the contrary, the one who enters into the wild love of God—for divine love is not neat, logical, and orderly—enters in the unknown forces of the heart. Deep within us God dwells as fire, turbulent wind, a raging ocean of power and yet a deep silence of stillness. God is all of these because divine love is dynamic, active, generative, infinite, and good. God is the fullness of everything that lives, moves, and has being. To enter the human heart is to enter into God unafraid to risk the unknown or death itself, since “love is stronger than death.” God’s weakness in love enkindles the strength of humanity.

—from the book Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis
by Ilia Delio, OSF