Finding Hosea in the Modern World

I learned a new word today. The word is “foist” which means to impose an unwelcome or unnecessary thing on to people. I discovered this word by accident. I was studying a blog by Christian writer Dylan Dodson. Dylan’s blog is a good example that I could tie to my bible study of the book of Hosea. Dylan did not use the word; but, when you start googling - You can just go all over the place. 

There is no fidelity, no loyalty, no knowledge of God in the land. (Hosea 4:1 (b)).

Hosea was written between 755 and 725 BC. That was a long time ago. Funny a whole lot of things don’t change. In his blog, Dylan Dodson writes about one of the same things Hosea writes about. Dylan makes the point that people can call themselves Christians but actually do not believe when they don’t agree with God’s commandments or Church teachings. This is similar to Hosea's prophesy.

If you believe in God, then there is a core reason for that belief.  Sometimes it is hard to say why you believe, you just know you believe. With all the ramifications, do and don'ts believing asks of Christians, people tend to pick and choose.  All that God asks is sometimes hard to accept in the world we live in. Even the people of Israel who could remember God working in their prophets, kings, and nation often fell short of what was asked by following false teachings that fed their human wants.  We also fall into the habits of worshiping our personal wants.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command? (Luke 6:46).

Dylan Dodson and the Prophet Hosea talk about sexuality. But these are not the only things that Christ is asking of us. 

Jesus gave the apostles authority to build his Church and continue his ministry. Yet today, Christians forget this command, shun the Church, and pick what they want to believe. There is a disconnection between identifying oneself as a Christian and living a Christian lifestyle. Jesus asks us to follow him in all the details of our lives. If we believe that Jesus is God and God is truly our Father Creator, then we must also believe in what he is the Lord over.  

That same website where I discovered the word “foist” stated “religion focuses the people's attention and energy on a single, unchanging, uncompromising and invisible supreme being who created an inferior humanity.” This supreme being established oppressive and arbitrary rules to live by. These statements were written by an atheist.  

Isn't this great that this is not our God? Sadly, this is how many Christians understand God. But, we are not asked to be perfect, only to try to live in his commands. Disappointingly, many people just say they will do what they want to do if they do agree with Jesus' or the Church’s teachings. In doing this we are actually worshiping a god that we make.

Just remember God always believes in humanity. God is always revealing truth to us. Even if we see God as the god we selfishly want, the Truth of God is always calling to us. 

God is love and forgiveness.  Pope Francis wrote about forgiveness, “. . . God’s mercy has no limits if you go to him with a sincere and contrite heart.” So even if we sin and get off track through our own selfishness, we can recognize our faults and truly ask for forgiveness. God was there with Hosea and the sinful people of Israel almost 2800 years ago. God is there for us, today.

Prayer:

Lord God our Father,

Give us the strength 

to live the life you call us to live.

  

Help us to put our human temptations behind us

so we can live in your glory. 

Most gracious God, 

show us our faults and forgive us when we fail. 

In Jesus name, Amen

Catholic Charities

I attended a meeting today of a group trying to bring Catholic Charities to my area. The group was men and women from the different Catholic Churches. They are leaders in charitable works and the love ministries to the less fortunate in the community. All are people who want to help. They come bringing their love and the love of the people in the churches they represent. 

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” – St. Augustine

There are many types of love. One of the basic types of love is described by St. Augustine. It is the respect and caring that we feel towards another person. This is what we as Christians call brotherly love or charity. Sometimes people forget that outside of love of family, this is the most basic love that exists. Love makes us social creatures. Love pulls people together into groups. This bond has always been there in society. It is the source of empathy and sympathy that we have for those around us.

Empathy is the ability to experience the hurt, brokenness, despair, and so many other feelings that humanity experiences. This comes from the fact that no matter how small or great we are we have probably lived through the same experience. We are all created by the same God. We all live in a shared world. No matter what your nationality, we all grieve, we all hurt, we all experience disappointment. Love for others can only exist in the kindness, empathy, and understanding we have for others. We seek justice and dignity for the love of other people because of empathy.

Sympathy is the ability to feel sorrow and pity for others misfortunes. These are actually for the times when we do not have the experiences of others. Maybe we have been fortunate in our lives and cannot know the misfortune of poverty.  But sympathy is the feelings that pull those who are not alike together. We are not like kings who have never seen poverty, sickness, old age, or death. But the suffering that comes with these can make us feel compassion and respect for those less fortunate than us. In sympathy we also find love. 

Empathy and sympathy can bring us to a connection with other people. It allows us to see that each of us has a vulnerability to the world. When we recognized the common vulnerability this is where love grows.   

Jn 14:12 “Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these. . .”

Jesus Christ is where we find the strength to defend against our vulnerability. Christ living in us, allows us to be a continuation of his miracles in the world. Miracles found in his love. This love inspires faith and asks us to do great works in the world in his name. It is the empathy we feel for having been in need of miracles and the sympathy for those less fortunate that allows us to love. The love we find in Christ asks us to be his hands, to be his feet, to be his heart, and to be his love in the world.

This is Catholic Charities and what they bring is Christ's work to help rebuild lives.  Doing the work Jesus asked each of us to continue.  When asked if the area would support another social agency, one person attending said that this area had an undeveloped philanthropic resource.  I do not know about the philanthropic resource; but, I do know we have a large resource of Christ's love.

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus

I believe in you with my whole self,
allow me to do your works.

Let my feet be your feet,

let my hands be your hands,

let my heart be your heart,

let my love be your love, and

allow me to see you in those in need,
allow others to see you in me.

Amen

Finding Joy

Acts 13:52 - The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible tells us to rejoice. But the ability to rejoice, the act of being filled with joy, is not something that every person automatically experiences. Joy is not easy to obtain in the world and is an extraordinary and valuable gift. It is something that must be found in the journey of life. A gift found in life, that is worth pursuing.

Joy is not simply something we have.  Our inner conflicts battle on whether we are deserving of joy. Sometimes we simply reject it because we do not feel worthy. This rejection is because we do not know what joy truly is and where joy exists.

Most people would believe that joy is happiness.  Others relate joy to sensual pleasure.  These two things are physical and often short lived. 

Are you happy? Many times yes, being with friends, enjoying a meal, or eating a big bowl of ice cream, but if we are honest, happiness isn't necessarily something lasting in our lives.  It’s far from being permanent and can melt away like that ice cream.  Happiness is accidental. It just comes upon you.  You can’t buy it, earn it, or achieve it. Happiness is related to the way you live.  But, is it joy? No, truly it isn’t.

How about pleasure?  Is pleasure joy? No, in fact it isn't.  Pleasure is the sensation of feeling gratified.  As good as it may be, life is not merely about pleasure. There are other things more important in life than just being gratified.  

Joy is more than short-lived happiness; and it is more than gratification of a sensual pleasure. There is much more to joy than these.  Joy is the intensiveness that lies beyond temporary happiness and a complete gratifying fulfillment more profound than a sensual pleasure. Joy is the inner change that is an undying experience of these two sensations that affects our lives.

Psalms 126: 2(a), 3 - We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

For a true believer, there is no inconsistency between the joy of life and the joy in God.  Joy is created in relationships.  It begins with others who love us for who we are and accept us fully. Joy is in the happiness experienced in loving others and the true self. Joy is profound and hopefully unending. Joy is the certainty that you are loved forever, no matter what.  Joy is being set free.

Like the apostles, Rejoice! Let your heart sing, fill your being with joy.  This is the reality of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, experiencing life in a totally different way. It is in the divine that we find true joy and love in the world and the joy of heaven.  Heaven is ever lasting happiness and enduring pleasure sharing love with God and those you love forever and ever. 

Remain in my Love

Jesus told his disciples, remain in my love. 

Jesus asks his disciples to continue to exist in his love when others had abandoned that divine relationship.  Continued existence (past, present and future) is a definition of time. Jesus asks for time and love.  Love like he gives and like the Father gives.

This is what Jesus says about the Father.  The Father remains in me and I in him.  As my Father has loved me, I have loved you, remain in my love.

I have two children.  When my oldest child was born, they carried her out all bundle up in a new clean blanket.   The nurse handed her to me.  She looked up from my arms, her little fist clinched as babies do.  She looked into my soul with eyes that could only see my shape.  Not seeing me but taking my love.  No matter how old she is, I still see this perfection.  I still see the baby who looked to my inner soul.  She will always remain in my love.

When my second daughter was born, it was different.  The doctor graced me with the privilege to accompany my wife during the delivery.  Being in the delivery room, I held her mother's hand and heard my daughter first gasp for air.  I saw almost immediately after she was born, still naked; her eyes open looking deep into my heart.  Her arms flailing outstretched reaching to hold and she grabbed my soul, the same but different. She will always remain in my love.

No two people are exactly alike. All human relationships are different. They cannot be because they are not in the same place or same time.  They are different because they happen at different times and between two different peoples.  Relationships are based on the time love dynamics and that makes them unique.  Times change, person change, and dynamics will change.

Only God is eternal and without change. Gods love for us is constant because the love that existed for us in creation is the same and timeless.  In the constant and timeless is the absolute and perfect love.  This is the goodness of God.  

God's perfect love exists in an imperfect world.  An imperfect world of human existence that is not eternal but is forever changing.  This constant change is the result of our free will.  Free will cause people to experience love in different ways. This is source of that personal relationship with Christ because each person's love of God and love of Christ is a different experience. 

This free allows us to find unique and personal love in another person and is God has an opposite effect.  Time and situation happens by chance and surrounds each relationship.  The accident of human relationship in the subject and object of love is unique.  Relationships can be built on the same relational foundation but each is a collection of different experiences, persons, and time particulars.  Sadly, however, this free will in an imperfect world is a reason that bad things happen.

In people, the act of love is self creative, self conscious and self giving though intrinsic and different in each relationship.  But the love from the divine is eternal and constant.  God’s time does not change because it is timeless.  God love does not change because it is constant.  God’s love is accessible to all, yet is an inaccessible object that we cannot change. It exists independently of our love and is its cause.  

My mother always told her children she loved us each as much as the other.  I tell my children the same.  My love for my family is complete.  It is timeless and constant in human imperfection.  

But no matter how much love I have, it is love tainted by human experience that can never be as complete and uninfluenced as God’s love.  Human love is imperfect in its bias, influenced by the time in which it exists.  God’s love is without prejudice.  To make our love more perfect, we need to tune ourselves to the ever present goodness of God. To our example of love and goodness found in Jesus Christ.  

In the eternity of time and the constantness of love, I know that God is good.  In bold quiet ways, God loves us and asks us to remain in his love.

people say i would love you if i had the time

people say

i would love you

               if

                          i had the time

time in the moment

called now, likens

to a lover

expectantly reaching

tenderly 

            to a future love

to touch the small of the back

that now is a love

past

in the moment, now

of time - love

the wedding dress

           is always used

only the future bride

is dressed

          unstained, virginal

soiled by the lover

now

the lover, now

is never not,

         the same only now

but different in a moment

in both

the excitement and boredom

future and past

always looking

i would love you

               if

                          i had the time

time - love

found in a changing

thing changes

never one and the same

before and after

Identity is found

In the now

before it is violated

but if

the same is the same

before and after

change did not change

time did not love

or experience

now

look at the past

to find

what is true to build

a future

better than now

with only moment

to build

continual now

time – love in moments

is eternal of

God

of eternity, outside time

before the beginning and the end

eternal love, pledged

love in the past

is the first greatest

love in the future

is the last greatest

constant greatest of the moment eternal

what shape

is time

a line,

without beginning or end?

what shape

is eternity,

a point

without beginning or end?

and eternal depth?

what shape

is love

a ray that grows forward?

or shapeless, eternal?

and infinite in

the Father’s perfection

does time - love in

creation grow as

once i die

my now stops becoming

eternal 

to growing time.

In time - love

becomes part of the past

fertilizer laid

growing the reality of time 

harvested in a future

but only nourishment in moments

of memory

that too becomes fertilizer

past feeds the present now and

the future

in prodigy

prodigy, prodigy, prodigy, prodigy,

shipwrecked in

time - love  

lost in the moment of now

lost from the will eternal

lost without understanding

eternity 

without salvation

a future that never comes

because (stalling)

eternal absence

from the horizon constantly redeemed

time - love 

conversion briefly 

discouraged

by

the lover, now, not crossed

in the past

realize 

perception is the truth 

about time - love

              those present

exists over an interval

not including what has happened

in the past

what will occur 

              is the future

is now

not known only anticipated.

the fruits of a human

life time are just now

a moment in eternity. 

i would love you

               if

                          i had the time

yet, eternity’s gaze

               on my moments

hopefully

finds prayer

time in now

making a difference 
               in the moments of others. 

moments time - love

               found in now

found in past

found in future.

knowing time - love

the now

               just past to history

is an absurdity

              cause and effect in reverse

to profess knowledge

                 of the future,

                 of God’s will

except time; except love

known in the moment, 
now.

if

    i had the time

                          i would love you

Time Under the Gaze of Jesus

Time should be considered when we study the Bible.  Historical time, cultural time, and the present time are important to study. God uses time to teach, explain, and grow understanding. Nothing exists (even time) that does not owe its existence to God the creator. (CCC 338)

Recently when addressing the executives of the United Nations Agencies, Funds, and Programs, Pope Francis began with a story from another time.  He told the story of Jesus and the tax collector, Zacchaeus. (Luke, Chapter 19, 1 - 10).  Meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus made a radical change in his life for justice.  His conscience was awakened by the gaze of Jesus.  Pope Francis says that this gaze can be found in the face of the cast off, the suffering, and the left behind.

Psalms 39:9 - My entire life time is just a moment in your hand

Pope Francis had already identified modern society with a "Throwaway Culture."  He was discussing abortion when he made this reference.  This throwaway culture also extends to the injustice found in society.  In an abortion, society discards the future of the unborn.  Injustice in a "Throwaway Culture" discards the history, present, and future of the victims.  People, unborn or born, are not throwaways.

Even Christians can be participants in the throwaway culture. The throwaway resource is often the gift of time that can be given for justice.  Time is the gift of a moment from us to others which ultimately is from the hand of God.

Psalms 90:2 - From eternity to eternity your are God

There is a philosophy of time.  Two of these philosophical ideas are either all time is real (past, present, future) or only the present (now) is real.  St. Augustine said that the present is a knife edge between the present and the future.  This present cuts the past from the future because if now exists forever, it is eternity. 

Time is a real creation and labels only mark the reality of that existence.  The now exists as the moment that overtakes the future as it leaves the past.  In this relationship, what we have done in the past is important, what we do now is important, and what we do in the future is important.  Time no matter how it is labeled is not disposable; but, wasted time is a product of our "Throwaway Culture."  Cherish time as a gift given to us by God’s providence.  It should not be wasted. 

Following Zacchaeus’ example, we can change our hearts and by the blessings of grace the hearts of society.  A person should give there time generously and lavishly no matter what how they measure it.  Time may be an individual’s volunteer efforts, time may be counted in money, and time may be a person’s intrinsic talents.  It should be shared in subsidiarity.   

Political views no matter if they are conservative, liberal, socialist, communist, or libertarian are all relative.  They are established to control time and the talents of a society associated with that time.  Christians should not enslave their time to the relativism of these political and social agendas but should live in God’s providence; building a culture of life and a civilization of love, now and for the future.

The future ain’t what it used to be. - Yogi Berra

Under the gaze of Jesus that is found in the face of others, I realize the truth about time.  A human life time is just a moment in eternity and the action the moment touches the past, present, and future.  I want Jesus’ gaze on my life time to be in moments of prayer and worship; moments making a difference in the moments of others.  Moments found now and in the future and in the past. 

What's in a Name?

Proverbs 22:1: "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth"

What’s in a name?  I took some professional training where one of the icebreaker assignments was to perform a symbolic story with gestures and hyperbole to represent your name.  You were partnered with another student and they had to act it out.  I thought of going to the doctor, being wrapped up in a gauze bandage and then the doctor pinning his bill on my chest.  It was fun over acting. My name is Bill Goss.  Everybody remembered it.

Is a name important? To find out, I chose to do a Bible study from a book in the Old Testament. I asked those who attended to look at the writers of the Bible as ordinary men, writing with inspired and divine inspiration, but also writing for a specific purpose. 

I decided to study the prophet Hosea.  We were going to look at the first three chapters.  This was to ask why some believe every word in the Bible happened as written.  It was intended to get people to study not just read the Bible. The only preparation for the class was to study the first chapters.  This was going to be an interesting discussion.

One of the first things I always look at when studying the Bible is who wrote the book we are studying and what was going on when it was written.  It was probably written by a prophet named Hosea or his followers. These prophesy were written during time when the Kingdom of Israel was in great instability.  The rulers were not good and old enemies were becoming powerful.  The people were straying from the covenant between the Lord and Israel.

To document these conditions, the book establishes some interesting characters.  In the old television show Dragnet, they always said that the names were changed to protect the innocent.  This may be the case.  Let us look a why.

According to the book of Hosea, the prophet married a woman of loose moral virtues. He chased his wife and pulled her from her lover’s arms.  He even raised children that were not his own. Hosea did this because the Lord told him to do it.

Hosea is a name that means “salvation.”  He is the son of the man Beeri.  Beeri is a name that means “well.”  So Hosea son of Beeri could mean “Well of Salvation.”  This is a good name for a prophet.

Hosea married Gomer daughter of Dibliam.  The name Gomer can mean "finished, complete, failure or come to an end." Some Hebrew origins point to the name meaning “standing for the whole.”  Dibliam means two cakes or double portion.  Gomer is a woman that represents the "entire people of Israel who will get a double portion of failure."

Depending on what version of the Bible you are reading, his wife is described in man ways.  Gomer is identified as a promiscuous woman in the more subtle translations.  Other translation, however, are more descriptive using “wife of whoredom”, “marry a prostitute”, “wife of harlotry”, and "wife of fornication.”  This is the woman the Lord tells Hosea to take as a wife.

This marriage represents the covenant between the Lord and Israel and was actually a visionary prophecy.  The word of the Lord came to Hosea.  This was prophesy given to the prophet.  Hosea (the well of salvation) represents God.  Gomer (the complete failure and entire promiscuous family) represents Israel.  The relationship of Hosea and Gomer is a metaphor of the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites.  At first there was love and then a brief period of fidelity, but this was followed by many years of disloyalty.

So when I asked how the class had interpreted the readings, I got a good answers, but not necessarily the ones I expected.  They thought it was a biographical story which actually happened.  Hosea had married an adulterous wife.  His prophesy was written reflecting on his marriage and comparing it to the peoples relationship with God. The names were interesting and probably meant something but did not consider them important.  The introduction to the book of Hosea in the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) indicates that the names and metaphor are important.

What’s in a name?  Maybe nothing, maybe a lot; but, I'll look at my name. My given name is "William" which means a “strong willed warrior” or “one with a strong desire to protect.”  According to Ancestry.com the family name of "Goss" is the short form of longer names having to with "good, god, and God."  

I think there is a lot in my name and it suits me just fine.

Jesus: The Phenomenon of “I Am”

John 10:9a  -  “I am the gate.  Whoever, enters through me will be saved,”

When I think of the words “I am”, I think about myself.  They are words focused on my own self and experiences.  When I experience pain, perception, or thought, the occurrence in question is expressed immediately as "I am ------."  Experience is personal.  I am in pain. I am happy.  I am big.  I am small.  I am hungry. I am worried.  I am content.  I am in love.  Most of what we experience of our self in life can be summed up simply as “I am ------.”

                            

In philosophy there is a discipline called phenomenology.  My freshman philosophy class in 1979 did not cover this subject.  In our deacon studies, Dr. Wilson had two semesters to review a history of philosophy and was only able to introduce us to the term.  So my googled, self-explained and probably misunderstood definition of phenomenology is the study of how we experience things.  I think “I am” would be a very strong statement in this study.  But, I could be wrong. 

I think of Jesus and when he said “I Am.”  In the Gospel of John, Jesus says “I Am” many times.   In fact, the words “I Am” are said in John about forty-five times.  But, there is the seven times the “I am” (ego eimi) statement is used by Jesus that stands out.  These “I Am” descriptions are paired with terms that are descriptions of God found in the Old Testament.  All are descriptions from the Old Testament with the exception of one, the “I am the gate (door)."

The seven “I Am” statements are:

  I am the bread of life (John 6:35).   

  I am the light of the world (John 8:12).

  I am the gate (door) (John 10:9).

  I am the good shepherd (John 10:11).

  I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).

  I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

  I am the true vine (John 15:1).

This is how the author of John’s gospel understood Jesus.  This is how the Johannine society experienced Christ in their daily lives. 

In a bible study, it was stated to take “the” out of Jesus’ “I Am” statements and put your name in place of “the.”  This is truly the living experience of these statements.

   “I am Bill’s bread of life”,

   “I am Bill’s light of the world”,

   “I am Bill’s good shepherd”,

   “I am Bill’s resurrection and Bill’s life”,

   “I am Bill’s way, Bill’s truth, and Bill’s life”,

   “I am Bill’s true vine”.

Those are powerful ways to experience Jesus' "I Am".  These make me think of how I experience God.  As an apprentice philosopher, if I were to put these in a phenomenological perspective, I would look at one statement; the one “I Am” that is not in the Old Testament.  The one “I Am” statement that allows you to experience and understand all the others - “ I am the gate (door)”.  

I am glad.  Glad because when Jesus said "I Am", it was for everyone.  Thank you Jesus because when I contemplate this “I am Bill’s gate (door)”.  I understand that Jesus is my door to God.  Jesus is the door to salvation.

This is Who I Am

He was very sensible of his faults, but not discourage by them. - "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (Sept 28, 1666)

My name is William E. Goss, II.  Everyone knows me as Bill except for long time friends and family who call me Billy.  On June 28, 2014, I receive holy orders as a permanent deacon in the Roman Catholic Church.

My dad was a Baptist preacher and truck driver with degrees from Mississippi College and Millsap’s College and attended the Louisiana Baptist Seminary.  The man was a very educated truck driver.  His preaching did not support his family.

My mother was a Catholic girl.  She was raised in the country and attended a small rural school.  Not a very educated person but she was devout in her faith. She was a popcorn girl at the theater when they met.  They dated two weeks and were married for 25 years until my father died.

You don’t preach at a big Baptist church when your wife is Catholic and wears pants to service, especially in the 1960’s.  It was her faith and her relationship with God.  He would not make her believe as he believed.  Love, respect, and perseverance makes success.

I was baptized at two weeks old.  That was my entire formal Catholic formation as a child.  I grew up in the Baptist church and saw how my father was treated by the organized church because my mother was Catholic.  I didn't want anything to do with that religion.

I played football in college and I was a lot better in my mind than in the coach’s opinion.  There were requirements to stay and workout with the team over the summer, I could not do this because my father was sick.  I would go home and work.  This didn't add to my success in football.

I met my wife when she was 17.  I was 23.  She was a good Catholic girl who played organ at mass.  Some of our first dates were to mass.  She told me that she made up her mind to marry me the day she saw me.  My baby face made her mother think I younger than I was so she said we could get married.  The only condition is that we had to be married in the Catholic Church.  We got married the day after she graduated from high school.

My father was in the hospital on a ventilator when we got married and died before my children were born.  In his last years, he attended a Pentecostal church because this is where he felt the spirit.  He was in the hospital for almost a year and I don't remember him being visited by a Baptist preacher or a Pentecostal preacher during this time.  I know a Catholic Chaplin visited him in the hospital because of my mother.

The funeral was held in the hall at the Catholic Church where my mother was raised.  He is buried in a community cemetery behind that Church.  I don’t visit his grave nearly enough.

The priest that had the most profound impact on me was from Nigeria.  An African man who came to the United States as a missionary.  He told us that Irish Missionaries came to his village when his grandfather was chief.  His grandfather thought that his dead ancestors were living in the trees and he worshiped them.  His father became a Christian and the head man of the village allowing him to have several wives.  

I would like to call this a potpourri of unrelated happenings.  Mainly because I like the word potpourri; but, they are related.  All are the seeds of my faults.  I am not discourage because they are the source of the garden of my thoughts.  

I think this is enough.  Just enough to let you know were I am coming from when I tell my stories.  Peace

Being a Disciple

Acts 9:6 "Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do."

I am at a small church.  As I have studied to become a deacon, I have listened to hear what God is telling be to do.  But in a small church this can be confusing.  People come and go, they volunteer and then they don't.  Parents bring their children to learn but only when it is convenient.  In a small church, this is reality. 

But even in a small church things change.  Soon, we will have a new pastor at our mother church, Our Lady of Fatima.  So today, I met with our associate pastor who works with our community.  He laid out his plans for his ministry in the next year.  A simple  plan: we are Christians but we must be disciples, too.  As a community, we must be a community of disciples.  In the Book of Acts, a community of disciples is described.  It includes being a people of prayer, listening to the apostles, sharing the Eucharist and being a community of life.

Christians are called to be disciples.  Like Ananias, who the Lord called to lay hands on Paul, disciples are called to do Christ's work.  Like Ananias, we may be scared and may not think we can do anything.  Ananias is celebrated in the Bible only once.  But his call no matter how small, contributed to make a difference in the world.  A difference that still touches the world today.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, our actions can result in much good.  We can work in small ways to make things better if we make the things that we do count for something whenever we can and where ever we are.  If our work is for God then it will always count for something.  

Acts 9:15  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites..."

We are all trying to be disciples so we need to live our lives like it is not only a visit in this world.  We are here for a reason and that reason is to live a life of discipleship by showing kindness and love.  Living the life of a disciple can fill the empty in others.  Bringing the community and bringing Christ to those looking for him.

I am only one person; but, I am one that God called.  God calls to all of us.  God calls us to be disciples as we are.  It is as St. Catherine of Siena said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

I will find the time with my job and my family to truly live the life of a disciple.  With my pastor and associate pastor, I will minister at my small church and to others in my community.  In the summer when the members are on vacation and the pews are empty, I will not be discourage and reach out.

When I am the only one at adult education, I will still study and teach.  When I am called to help, I will bring Christ to those who are empty. I will be a disciple always reaching out to make a difference by caring and acting in big ways in that is needed and in small ways that are always needed. 

Caves, Prayers and Grace

But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. (1 Cor 15:10a)

My wife and I were married only a couple of years when we traveled to San Antonio, TX for a relatives wedding.  During our trip, we stopped and explored the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown, TX.  It was awe inspiring.   We had never been in a cave and it open our eyes to something unknown to us.

Years later, on a business trip, I had the opportunity to visit Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  It was so much more than the small cavern we had explored in Texas.  When I tried to tell my wife of its grandeur, she just could not grasp it.  She had only experienced the smaller but still beautiful Inner Space Cavern.  She could not realize the grandness of Mammoth Cave having only experienced a small cave.   She could only relate it to the realness of that she had explored.  

Each of us, no matter how much we try, have only a limited knowledge of God.  However, this is not the way that is natural.  Through God's creation, man was made with the unique knowledge and ability to commune with the creator.  This was in man's created likeness to God.  The first communion, when man received God's breath, brought a uniqueness not found in any other created thing.  But, humanity loss this.

As someone who seeks to serve God, I look for different insights and knowledge of God.  One way is by reading books by authors such as Franciscan priest, theologian, teacher and mystic Fr. Richard Rohr.  His writings have given me an interesting and unique insights.   This is the way that I explore more caves so my communication with God becomes greater.     

Man is in constant search of God.  He wants to make God familiar.  He gives God attributes that are found in man.  This is the intimate cave where many search for that communication and knowledge of God.  Trying to find what was lost in the familiar.  Searching for an essential part of the self that knows God.

In this search for God, we may find many falsities.  In this search, we may accuse God of forsaking us.  God never does.  The true God, our creator, always calls us back to the mystery that is knowing and communicating with him.  This is where those who seek God discover prayer.

God always calls us to this relationship.  God invites us in the silence of our hearts to an encounter with the divine.  God blesses each of us in the grace that calls each person to this mystery.   When this call is realized in its truth,  we answer it with prayer.  We have a new heart born of prayer with a new knowledge and communion with God.

Each person explores God on a path of prayer made up of our life's experiences.   In free will the believer responds according to their heart's course.  The guidepost that marks the path to prayer are the experiences a person has with God.  

For the Church,  prayer is both a gift of grace and the response to grace on our part.   Richard Rohr's view that ". . . grace is not something God gives but God is Grace," is a new cave that I have to explore.  Now, prayer is not just seeking communion and knowledge of God but also a realization of Grace.  

Prayers are like caves.  Both are hidden places so near but out of sight. They are there for us to find.  You must enter a cave to explore it.  Pray to explore communicating and knowledge of God.  Pray constantly by remembering, praising, and thanking God and accepting Grace in every breath.  Prayer opens us to God in which is found Grace upon Grace.