Thoughts on worrying

 

Are You Home?

Today worrying means to be occupied and preoccupied with many things, while at the same time being bored, resentful, depressed, and very lonely. I am not trying to say that all of us are worried in such an extreme way all the time. Yet there is little doubt in my mind that the experience of being filled yet unfulfilled touches most of us to some degree at some time. In our highly technological and competitive world, it is hard to avoid completely the forces that fill up our inner and outer space and disconnect us from our innermost selves, our fellow human beings, and our God. One of the most notable characteristics of worrying is that it fragments our lives. The many things to do, to think about, to plan for, the many people to remember to visit, or to talk with, the many causes to attack or defend, all these pull us apart and make us lose our center. Worrying causes us to be “all over the place,” but seldom at home. One way to express the spiritual crisis of our time is to say that most of us have an address but cannot be found there. Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on the return of Jesus

 Preparing for the Kingdom of God (Mark 1, 21-28)

 

John the Baptist’s preaching and baptizing was a puzzle and an enigma for the Jewish religious and political leaders of his time. John's teaching or preaching was very attractive to many of his listeners. The manner of living to which he was calling people was certainly in record with their understanding of the law. But what more precisely did he mean by the kingdom of God and who was to be the leader of this kingdom? But if he was not promoting his own role in leading the kingdom, who was this person?

 

Herod for a brief period resolved this problem when he imprisoned John. But as if out of nowhere, (and for many to be from Nazareth was to be from out of nowhere) comes Jesus comes with a proclamation very similar to that of John, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the gospel. Mark 1, 15. 

 

Nazareth was a very small village, (est. 250 to 500 people) in the hill country of Galilee. Most of its residents were subsistent farmers. Joseph and Jesus, as the wood craftsmen, provided their tools and implements. Jesus would live and work this way for approximately 30 years. In such a small village he and his family were well known, accepted neighbors.

 

And so it was probably to the amazement of everyone that Jesus leaves Nazareth and goes to be with John the Baptist. There at the river Jordan he is baptized by John. And it seems for a period of time he joined John’s disciples in their ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

But then Jesus leaves John and goes off for a period of time by himself. Afterwards, he returns also preaching about the kingdom and he gradually begins to gathers his own disciples. Jesus, like John was not promoting himself, nor inciting political or civil unrest. He wanted a kingdom that promoted the common good, the respect and well-being of all, the rich and poor, Jew and eventually even Gentile. It was most strikingly to be a Kingdom of justice, mercy and forgiveness, for all, including sinners, tax collectors, Roman, Samaritans, and so on.

It was when it became known that Jesus was also performing miracles of bodily and spiritual healing his popularity and notoriety grew exponentially. Now everywhere that he and his disciples visited there were larger and larger crowds.

 

It was at this point that Jesus and his disciples decide to go to Caparnaum. This small town is about 50 miles from Nazareth, so the people in both places knew each other, some probably relatives. You can well imagine the excitement, anticipation and interest this aroused. As Sunday's Gospel indicates Jesus did not disappoint them. His preaching was very clear and convincing. Then at the conclusion he cures a person with a very serious physical affliction.

 

You might ask yourself how did these friends, acquaintances and relatives of Jesus prepare for his return? What do they want to find out, or what might they have wanted from him? You might consider how you now should prepare for meeting him, or what you might seek from him?

 

Jim Blumeyer, S.J.

Thoughts on a spiritual life

 

Be in the World Without Being of the World

Being in the world without being of the world.” These words summarize well the way Jesus speaks of the spiritual life. It is a life in which we are totally transformed by the Spirit of Love. Yet it is a life in which everything seems to remain the same. To live a spiritual life does not mean that we must leave our families, give up our jobs, or change our ways of working; it does not mean that we have to withdraw from social or political activities, or lose interest in literature and art; it does not require severe forms of asceticism or long hours of prayer. Changes such as these may in fact grow out of our spiritual life, and for some people radical decisions may be necessary. But the spiritual life can be lived in as many ways as there are people. What is new is that we have moved from the many things to the Kingdom of God. What is new is that we are set free from the compulsions of our world and have set our hearts on the only necessary thing. What is new is that we no longer experience the many things, people, and events as endless causes for worry, but begin to experience them as the rich variety of ways in which God makes his presence known to us. Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on change

Today, and in the weeks that follow, we transition to read from Mark’s Gospel. But our conversations about Jesus’ early community continue.

In our Gospel, Jesus proclaims, “This is the time of fulfillment.” The kingdom of God is at hand.”

When Jesus passes the Sea of Galilee, he observes Simon and his brother Andrew fishing. Jesus says to them, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” Simon and Andrew follow.

Soon after, Jesus sees two other brothers, James and John. They too are called by Jesus, and they too answer his call.

For us at CMMB, this Gospel reminds us to trust in the process of change, no matter how daunting. When we embark on a new project, whether it be constructing reliable and safe water sources at a school or outfitting a hospital to handle complicated births, we cannot anticipate every single challenge our teams will face.

Jesus’ disciples dropped everything to follow him. From fisherman to disciple is no small change. Yet they put their faith in Jesus and the future he proclaimed. At CMMB, we strive to embrace change in this way—with trust in its transformative power and faith in Jesus’ support.

In grace and peace,

CMMB — Healthier Lives Worldwide

https://cmmb.org/about-us/

Thoughts on trusting God

 

Learn to Trust God

Most of us distrust God. Most of us think of God as a fearful, punitive authority or as an empty, powerless nothing. Jesus’ core message was that God is neither a powerless weakling nor a powerful boss, but a lover, whose only desire is to give us what our hearts most desire.  To pray is to listen to that voice of love. That is what obedience is all about. The word obedience comes from the Latin word ob-audire, which means “to listen with great attentiveness.” Without listening, we become “deaf” to the voice of love. The Latin word for deaf is surdus. To be completely deaf is to be absurdus, yes, absurd. When we no longer pray, no longer listen to the voice of love that speaks to us in the moment, our lives become absurd lives in which we are thrown back and forth between the past and the future. If we could just be, for a few minutes each day, fully where we are, we would indeed discover that we are not alone and that the One who is with us wants only one thing: to give us love. Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on Jesus and John the Baptist

 Jesus and John the Baptist

 

In Sunday's Gospel following the arrest of John the Baptist we have Jesus beginning his own public ministry. The initial theme of his ministry is in part very similar to that of John:  prepare, be ready, the kingdom of God is at hand. This is not surprising because John’s roll in life was precisely this, to prepare one’s manner of living for the arrival of the longed for Messiah.

 

But most other things about their lives were very different. John for much of his life was on his own living in the wilderness off whatever nature had to offer. Whereas Jesus grew up in a very small town in a relative large family: Mary and Joseph, four brothers and an unspecified number of sisters. He learned Joseph’s profession and became a craftsman.

 

Jesus begins his ministry by leaving Nazareth to go to the River Jordan where John was preaching and baptizing. To John’s surprise, Jesus presents himself to be baptized. John reluctantly, at Jesus' insistence, performed the ritual for him.

 

And as we saw in last Sunday’s Gospel, John later on will draw the attention of two of his disciples’ attention to Jesus with the result that they switch their allegiance from John to him as their teacher.

 

From this point on it seems that for a period of time Jesus and John carry on their ministries separately. On an occasion afterward, when John’s disciples express concern about Jesus’ teaching and whether or not he is the Messiah, John has them confer with Jesus to clarify this. Jesus simply tells them to go back to John and report what they see happening: “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them,” (Matthew 11, 4-5)

 

Jesus then says to those of his own followers who may have been upset by the doubts or questioning of Johns’ disciples:

 

"What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out?  To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you more than a prophet......Amen, I say to you among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist…." (Matthew 11, 7-12)

 

Jim Blumeyer, S.J.

Thoughts on evangelization

                                                   Being an Evangelist

(John 1, 35-42)

 

In this Sunday's Gospel John describes how two of John the Baptist’s followers became disciples of Jesus. These two are with John when he sees Jesus drawing near coming along the other side of the Jordan. The Baptist describes Jesus in an unusual and unique way: "the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." The two wondered why John was speaking about Jesus in this manner and why was he saying this to them. 

 

They had probably encountered Jesus before. There was the time when Jesus came to the River Jordan and John somewhat reluctantly baptized him. The Scriptures also indicate that Jesus for an indefinite period of time had joined with John and his disciples in John's ministry.

 

But instead of asking John the Baptist for an explanation of his declaration the two decide to deal with the matter directly with Jesus. So they set off after him. However Jesus takes the initiative and, as it were, makes it easier for them by inviting them to come and see where (and how) he lives. Jesus uses them a firsthand. Interview. How we would love to have a life transcript of that conversation.

 

But it is perhaps more important to appreciate how it all affected and change them. Upon leaving Jesus they have to immediately go off to their friends and relatives; they had to tell them what they had experience and discovered in Jesus and how his had affected them.

 

The disciples’ reaction is reminiscent of Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well in Samaria. Theirs was a lively, at times playful and challenging conversation. But when it concludes she too has to go off and tell everyone she meets about her encounter with Jesus and what it all signified to her.

 

I believe we see in these two episodes a key ingredient, perhaps the most important one, of evangelization, that is of our sharing The Good News. The Lord desires that we share his gifts to us with others, to pass on to the people in our lives the good news of Jesus. The two disciples of John, the Samaritan woman become Jesus’ first evangelists. They went out to family, friends, relatives and probably strangers, to whoever would listen, and very simply told them what Jesus had done for them, how he treated them and now what this meant to them.

 

Let us pray that each of us in our own unique ways may share with those in our life world how the Lord has touched and graced our lives, that we too may be his evangelists!

Jim Blumeyer, S.J.

Thoughts on self-rejection

 

The Trap of Self-Rejection

Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. . . . As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, “Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody.” . . . My dark side says, “I am no good. . . . I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned.” Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the “Beloved.” Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence. Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on the Epiphany

 

Throughout our Advent and Christmas reflections, we have been seeking the Baby in the Manger. For the Magi, this was their goal as well. They traveled many miles seeking the Newborn King.

 

When they found Him, they gave Him gifts and they prostrated themselves before Him. Why would they do that? What was going on interiorly within them that impelled them to humble themselves before this Child?

 

The creature recognized the Creator in the humble vesture of a newborn Child, and they could not help but worship and acknowledge Him. In doing so, they delighted in having found the fulfillment of their great search and longing.

 

The journey of the Magi was difficult – and your journey may be difficult, too. But seeking Jesus is the most important expedition there is. And when we encounter Him anew, even daily, our hearts rejoice and are satisfied. We feel, then, that we are at home, for wherever Jesus is, there is our true home.

 

During the Christmas season, which we are still in, we have an opportunity to discover the presence of the newborn Jesus with new eyes. Mother Angelica said, “You need not join a monastery to hear the message of Christmas. The message is already in your heart, for that is where Love lives.”

 

I hope you have discovered or rediscovered this message of Christmas and Christ’s Love over the past few weeks. But more than that, I hope that every day of your life – during Advent, Christmas, or any time of the year – you recognize God’s love for you manifested in the Divine Child lying in a manger. May God bless you always.

In Christ,

 

Father Joseph

 

P.S. If you want to learn more about the Epiphany of the Lord and sign up for the Epiphany House Blessing eBook, please visit ewtn.com/epiphany.

Thoughts on a New Year

 

A New Beginning!

We must learn to live each day, each hour, yes, each minute as a new beginning, as a unique opportunity to make everything new. Imagine that we could live each moment as a moment pregnant with new life. Imagine that we could live each day as a day full of promises. Imagine that we could walk through the new year always listening to the voice saying to us: “I have a gift for you and can’t wait for you to see it!” Imagine. Is it possible that our imagination can lead us to the truth of our lives? Yes, it can! The problem is that we allow our past, which becomes longer and longer each year, to say to us: “You know it all; you have seen it all, be realistic; the future will just be a repeat of the past. Try to survive it as best you can.” There are many cunning foxes jumping on our shoulders and whispering in our ears the great lie: “There is nothing new under the sun... don’t let yourself be fooled.”  When we listen to these foxes, they eventually prove themselves right: our new year, our new day, our new hour become flat, boring, dull, and without anything new. So what are we to do? First, we must send the foxes back to where they belong: in their foxholes. And then we must open our minds and our hearts to the voice that resounds through the valleys and hills of our life saying: “Let me show you where I live among my people. My name is ‘God-with-you.’ I will wipe all the tears from your eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world of the past has gone” (Revelation 21:2–5). Henri Nouwen

Thoughts on Mary, Mother of God

Today, on the first day of 2024, we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 

When we proclaim with joy and gratitude that Mary is the Mother of God, we, with the Church, are simply proclaiming that the One she gave birth to IS GOD!

 

God didn’t choose a queen of a kingdom. He didn’t choose anyone who was famous or influential. He chose a teenager from Nazareth to be His Mother. And He loved – and still loves – her dearly. St. Maximilian Kolbe once said, “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”

 

However, Mary isn’t only Jesus’ mother. She is our mother, too (see Revelation 12:17). As our mother, she loves us individually. We can ask for her intercession for all of our needs, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

 

Most importantly, the Blessed Mother wants us to seek her Son. Her last recorded words in Sacred Scripture are “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). These words sum up her messages at Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fátima. She wants us to follow her Son and to do whatever He tells us.

 

As we celebrate the Mother of God, let’s ask for her intercession. Is there a problem in your life? A loved one who has left the Faith? A health problem? A death you’re mourning?

 

Mary wants to help you. Just as she helped the young couple who ran out of wine in Cana, Mary will help you, too.

 

And, along with Mary, let us worship the Divine Infant in the Manger.

Have a great day and a very Happy New Year!