What is our mission as Catholics?
Our mission as Catholics is to transform the world with the love of God…simple, but very ambitious. Personally, I find how we arrive at this concise directive pretty compelling…
When we hear the word “God,” something goes on in our minds. Now, however wonderful, however deep, rich, powerful, consoling, however philosophically and metaphysically precise, however scripturally sound and orthodox, whatever that idea of God that is in our mind…. it is NOT God. And THIS is really the most important thing to know about God: that what we have in our mind when we hear or speak the word “God” is only a very imprecise image of God (Paraphrase from Michael Himes awesome little 90 page book called the Mystery of Faith - a perfect belated Christmas gift for the seekers with a theological bent in your life). Us trying to figure out everything there is to know about God is like an ant trying to learn astrophysics. We are way out of our depth, to put it mildly. God, for us, can only be a mystery lived not a question that can be analyzed and answered.
HOWEVER, there is one metaphor that our tradition says is closer than all the others, and its from scripture which is always a good place to lean. The “the least wrong thing” we can say about God is that God is love (from 1 John 4:8).
Sadly, in our culture the word “love” has really lost its force. It’s become a warm, fuzzy hallmark word we usually associate with romance and roses. But the ancient Greeks had four words for our one English word LOVE.
1. Philia = love between friends. 2. Storge = affection like that felt by parents for their children. 3. Éros = intimate, passionate love (though not necessarily always sexual) where our word “erotic” comes from and 4. Agape = unconditional selfless, self-giving, sacrificial love. The one used in our scriptures is of course this last one.
So, our scriptures say that God is Agape. God IS the kind of love known as agape; perfect self-gift. God is the stuff between us, that holds us together. In other words, God is a relationship among persons (the Doctrine of the Trinity in a nutshell). So when Jesus said that he would be present when 2 or 3 gathered, it was not because he was some kind of diva who needs a minimum audience in order to show up. Rather when 2 or 3 are gathered together in true mutual love (agape) in genuine care and concern for one another, Jesus will be discovered in what happens among them….for THIS is God.
Jesus says people will know we are his disciples not by the way we love God, but by the way we love one another. God is not the object of love. God IS the love that exists among Jesus’ disciples…among us. The highest experience of God’s presence is in community. God is revealed primarily in the “WE” not the “ME.”
Jesus instructed us to follow him not to worship him. Jesus’ mission was to guide us to God; to true agape, self-giving love of one another (aka the “Body of Christ”). Just imagine what would happen if we all “followed” Jesus in this way; if we all put each other’s needs before our own…if we actively promoted that which connects us rather than what separates us….if we all lived the radical inclusion and compassion that Jesus modeled for us. God would be incarnate…embodied…Emmanuel….Perhaps this is what is meant by the “second coming of Christ”; Christ truly arriving in each of our hearts. An ambitious mission indeed. No small dream.
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: http://crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Crazy Catholic Question #61: Incarnation
What is the Doctrine of the Incarnation?
The doctrine of the Incarnation is not only the heart of what we celebrate this sacred Advent and Christmas season, but it is also is a major, central, non-negotiable tenet of our Catholic Faith. Some theologians say that the first and primary claim of the gospel is not, as we often think, that “Jesus died for our sins.” Nor is it, as we are sometimes told, "God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives." Rather, the first and primary claim of the gospel is, "God is here.”
“Incarnation” literally means – “in body.” Our Doctrine of the Incarnation states that God has taken on human flesh: in the person of Jesus, in the Eucharist, and in all who are sincere in faith as the body of Christ.
Our belief in the incarnation declares that we are saved as much by Jesus’ birth as by his death. The life of Jesus was the ultimate act of God’s willingness to meet us where we are at, in our very own history, in our suffering, and is a firm promise that God does not choose to be God without us. The Incarnation tells us we are never alone.
There is a story of a boy who receives the gift of a fish from his mother and he loves this fish so much that he saves his allowance for weeks and weeks in order to buy the fish a little bridge to swim under. But no matter what the boy does; yelling at the fish bowl, drawing pictures for the fish, etc. the fish just won’t swim under the bridge! So the boy says to his mom in frustration “Mom, why can’t I teach the fish to swim under the bridge?” And the Mom replies “Oh honey, in order to teach the fish to swim under the bridge, you would have to become a fish yourself.” Not an exact metaphor of course, but insightful. God simply could not bear the alienation that our bad choices and sin had caused so Jesus came among us, to save us, and show us the way home.
So, we do not believe in a God somewhere “out there,” or “up there,” transcendent and aloof towards us. We believe in a God who humbled himself to walk the earth with us and who is still physically present to us in a simple meal of bread and wine shared among us, and inside each and every human being that lives. The Christian God can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled through the senses. John Shea writes a little story that highlights the power in this belief….
"She was five years old, sure of the facts, and recited them with slow solemnity, convinced every word was revelation. She said they were so poor that they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat and they went a long way from home without getting lost. The lady rode a donkey, The man walked, and the baby was inside the lady.
They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass (tee – hee) but the three Rich Men found them because a star lighted the roof! Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep, but not feed them. Then the baby was borned! And do you know who he was? Her quarter eyes inflated to silver dollars. The baby was GOD!
The doctrine of the Incarnation is not only the heart of what we celebrate this sacred Advent and Christmas season, but it is also is a major, central, non-negotiable tenet of our Catholic Faith. Some theologians say that the first and primary claim of the gospel is not, as we often think, that “Jesus died for our sins.” Nor is it, as we are sometimes told, "God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives." Rather, the first and primary claim of the gospel is, "God is here.”
“Incarnation” literally means – “in body.” Our Doctrine of the Incarnation states that God has taken on human flesh: in the person of Jesus, in the Eucharist, and in all who are sincere in faith as the body of Christ.
Our belief in the incarnation declares that we are saved as much by Jesus’ birth as by his death. The life of Jesus was the ultimate act of God’s willingness to meet us where we are at, in our very own history, in our suffering, and is a firm promise that God does not choose to be God without us. The Incarnation tells us we are never alone.
There is a story of a boy who receives the gift of a fish from his mother and he loves this fish so much that he saves his allowance for weeks and weeks in order to buy the fish a little bridge to swim under. But no matter what the boy does; yelling at the fish bowl, drawing pictures for the fish, etc. the fish just won’t swim under the bridge! So the boy says to his mom in frustration “Mom, why can’t I teach the fish to swim under the bridge?” And the Mom replies “Oh honey, in order to teach the fish to swim under the bridge, you would have to become a fish yourself.” Not an exact metaphor of course, but insightful. God simply could not bear the alienation that our bad choices and sin had caused so Jesus came among us, to save us, and show us the way home.
So, we do not believe in a God somewhere “out there,” or “up there,” transcendent and aloof towards us. We believe in a God who humbled himself to walk the earth with us and who is still physically present to us in a simple meal of bread and wine shared among us, and inside each and every human being that lives. The Christian God can be seen, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled through the senses. John Shea writes a little story that highlights the power in this belief….
"She was five years old, sure of the facts, and recited them with slow solemnity, convinced every word was revelation. She said they were so poor that they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat and they went a long way from home without getting lost. The lady rode a donkey, The man walked, and the baby was inside the lady.
They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass (tee – hee) but the three Rich Men found them because a star lighted the roof! Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep, but not feed them. Then the baby was borned! And do you know who he was? Her quarter eyes inflated to silver dollars. The baby was GOD!
And she jumped in the air, whirled around, dove into the sofa, and buried her head under the cushion….Which is, of course, the only proper response to the Good News of the Incarnation."
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: http://crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: http://crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Crazy Catholic Question #60: Enduring the Holidays
How can I stay relatively sane, centered and loving during all the upcoming gatherings with my bat-$#*& crazy, dysfunctional family?
One of author Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite teachers once said to her “If you think you’re spiritual and evolved and enlightened, go home for Christmas.” Can I get an “Amen”? A handful of us live the Norman Rockwell dream of peaceful, perfect turkey and stuffing holiday dinners filled with laugher, mutual admiration and encouragement. The rest of us, well….we don’t. We pop a valium, hold our breath as we knock on the door and pray for the best….which is usually 4 to 5 hours minimum of tense smiles and avoiding conversations that bring up old unresolved resentments and conflicts.
So, what would Jesus do when Uncle Bill starts his crazy political rampage? Or when Grandma asks with disgust ‘how could you do that to your body?’ looking at your favorite tattoo? Or when your sister judgmentally scolds you and says you should better mind your children? Or your Dad asks “When are you going to get a real job?” Or any number of much worse scenarios, passive or blatantly aggressive? Seriously, WWJD?!?!?
I think Jesus would invite us to follow him, as he does so often in the gospels. Never once did Jesus say following him would be easy, in fact, quite the opposite he said "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24) In other words, Jesus says “those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, face the hard, painful realities of life, and follow me.” So we must say “no” to our deep, lingering desire to angrily pop Uncle Bill square in the nose, to tell-off Grandma and to spitefully ask our sister where does she get off. Instead, Fr. Ron Rolheiser says that:
“Jesus, invites us to something higher, and he models that for us in the way he died. Jesus took away tension by transforming it rather than by transmitting it. What Jesus does for us is comparable to what a water-purifier does. A water-purifier takes in water containing dirt, toxins, and poisons. It holds the impurities inside of itself and gives back only pure water. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, took away our sins and purified us in his blood not by some divine magic but, precisely, by absorbing and transforming our sin. Like a water-purifier, he took in hatred, held it, transformed it, and gave back love; he took in jealousy, held it, transformed it, and gave back affirmation; he took in resentment, held it, transformed it, and gave back compassion; and ultimately, he took in murder, held it, transformed it, and gave back forgiveness. That’s the Christian design for taking tension and resentment out of our lives.”
Our calling is not just to admire what Jesus did and how he lived but to imitate it; to follow him. It’s easy to love those who love you back, right? Jesus never calls us to be a doormat or endure abuse, buuuut….he did say to choose love in the face of those who aren’t very loving to us. Our doctrine of the incarnation tells us that our touch is Christ’s touch…Christ’s healing, forgiving, transformative touch. Hugging some of our family members with sincerity can be hard, but with Jesus, we CAN do hard things. But while doing these hard things we have to remember to be gentle with ourselves too and sometimes count our effort to even try as a success.
One of author Elizabeth Gilbert’s favorite teachers once said to her “If you think you’re spiritual and evolved and enlightened, go home for Christmas.” Can I get an “Amen”? A handful of us live the Norman Rockwell dream of peaceful, perfect turkey and stuffing holiday dinners filled with laugher, mutual admiration and encouragement. The rest of us, well….we don’t. We pop a valium, hold our breath as we knock on the door and pray for the best….which is usually 4 to 5 hours minimum of tense smiles and avoiding conversations that bring up old unresolved resentments and conflicts.
So, what would Jesus do when Uncle Bill starts his crazy political rampage? Or when Grandma asks with disgust ‘how could you do that to your body?’ looking at your favorite tattoo? Or when your sister judgmentally scolds you and says you should better mind your children? Or your Dad asks “When are you going to get a real job?” Or any number of much worse scenarios, passive or blatantly aggressive? Seriously, WWJD?!?!?
I think Jesus would invite us to follow him, as he does so often in the gospels. Never once did Jesus say following him would be easy, in fact, quite the opposite he said "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24) In other words, Jesus says “those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, face the hard, painful realities of life, and follow me.” So we must say “no” to our deep, lingering desire to angrily pop Uncle Bill square in the nose, to tell-off Grandma and to spitefully ask our sister where does she get off. Instead, Fr. Ron Rolheiser says that:
“Jesus, invites us to something higher, and he models that for us in the way he died. Jesus took away tension by transforming it rather than by transmitting it. What Jesus does for us is comparable to what a water-purifier does. A water-purifier takes in water containing dirt, toxins, and poisons. It holds the impurities inside of itself and gives back only pure water. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, took away our sins and purified us in his blood not by some divine magic but, precisely, by absorbing and transforming our sin. Like a water-purifier, he took in hatred, held it, transformed it, and gave back love; he took in jealousy, held it, transformed it, and gave back affirmation; he took in resentment, held it, transformed it, and gave back compassion; and ultimately, he took in murder, held it, transformed it, and gave back forgiveness. That’s the Christian design for taking tension and resentment out of our lives.”
Our calling is not just to admire what Jesus did and how he lived but to imitate it; to follow him. It’s easy to love those who love you back, right? Jesus never calls us to be a doormat or endure abuse, buuuut….he did say to choose love in the face of those who aren’t very loving to us. Our doctrine of the incarnation tells us that our touch is Christ’s touch…Christ’s healing, forgiving, transformative touch. Hugging some of our family members with sincerity can be hard, but with Jesus, we CAN do hard things. But while doing these hard things we have to remember to be gentle with ourselves too and sometimes count our effort to even try as a success.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Crazy Catholic Question #59: Why Small Groups?
Why are small groups important? Why and how do I join one here at CTR?
Theologian, Elizabeth Johnson, once said that at the root of all our Catholic doctrine is an encounter with the holy mystery that is God. Our doctrines are not just speculative mental acrobatics but rather an attempt to express a truth we have experienced.
The Trinity is an image, a concept of God that developed historically out of our collective experience. In the doctrine of the Trinity God has shown Godself to be a community of three persons, equal in every way, living together in loving, mutual relationship. So, if we believe, and God has revealed, that God is a community of mutual love and equality, then whenever we find ourselves freely giving or receiving love we are actively growing in knowledge and discovering the truth of the Trinity in the most potent and powerful way…not through our limited reason and words, but through our graced experience. "Hope is a dynamic at work in a community, finding expression in a community's imagery, rituals, and stories. It arises in individuals insofar as they partake of this social reality.”
So, community is deeply grounded in the nature of God. It flows from who God is. Therefore, we can’t regard the creating of community as an optional endeavor for us but rather a compelling and irrevocable necessity; a divine mandate of sorts. Sharing our stories and building community is God’s prescription to heal our broken world.
There is no question that Eucharist is essential to our life as Catholics. However there is something powerful and unique about an intimate gathering in a living room or a small classroom or around a dining room table that forces us to think differently than when we are worshipping as the larger church at Mass. Small groups, as the early church discovered (Acts 2:42-72) is where the rubber hits the road, where we genuinely care for one another and our theology begins to be fleshed out in conversation and action. There is tons of research that shows that small groups are absolutely crucial to the life and growth of any church. God calls us to love, not in an abstract or superficial way, but in a deep, face to face, transformative way…and this happens profoundly in small groups.
We currently have many small groups that meet: FIRE groups that have been meeting for decades, Scripture Study, Moms groups, Books studies, etc. Our hope for Lent is to nurture and tap existing small groups for their wisdom and insights as well as encourage the birth of a bunch of new small groups to better join our lives together and grow the kingdom of God.
In short, our Christian life is not meant to be lived alone. Our doctrines point to the deep truth that God is to be found much more in the “WE” than in the “ME.”
Ash Weds is Feb. 10th. We are going to train our facilitators and begin gathering small groups all through January (all shapes and sizes: couples, singles, men, women, kids, no kids, workplace, under 20, over 40…the list goes on). We invite you to think about participating in a small group as part of your Lenten devotion (three or more people who gather each week for prayer, study and sharing). Need not be a parishioner to participate, so invite your friends, family and neighbors too if you like.
Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b48aaaa2fa2f85-ctrsmall
Theologian, Elizabeth Johnson, once said that at the root of all our Catholic doctrine is an encounter with the holy mystery that is God. Our doctrines are not just speculative mental acrobatics but rather an attempt to express a truth we have experienced.
The Trinity is an image, a concept of God that developed historically out of our collective experience. In the doctrine of the Trinity God has shown Godself to be a community of three persons, equal in every way, living together in loving, mutual relationship. So, if we believe, and God has revealed, that God is a community of mutual love and equality, then whenever we find ourselves freely giving or receiving love we are actively growing in knowledge and discovering the truth of the Trinity in the most potent and powerful way…not through our limited reason and words, but through our graced experience. "Hope is a dynamic at work in a community, finding expression in a community's imagery, rituals, and stories. It arises in individuals insofar as they partake of this social reality.”
So, community is deeply grounded in the nature of God. It flows from who God is. Therefore, we can’t regard the creating of community as an optional endeavor for us but rather a compelling and irrevocable necessity; a divine mandate of sorts. Sharing our stories and building community is God’s prescription to heal our broken world.
There is no question that Eucharist is essential to our life as Catholics. However there is something powerful and unique about an intimate gathering in a living room or a small classroom or around a dining room table that forces us to think differently than when we are worshipping as the larger church at Mass. Small groups, as the early church discovered (Acts 2:42-72) is where the rubber hits the road, where we genuinely care for one another and our theology begins to be fleshed out in conversation and action. There is tons of research that shows that small groups are absolutely crucial to the life and growth of any church. God calls us to love, not in an abstract or superficial way, but in a deep, face to face, transformative way…and this happens profoundly in small groups.
We currently have many small groups that meet: FIRE groups that have been meeting for decades, Scripture Study, Moms groups, Books studies, etc. Our hope for Lent is to nurture and tap existing small groups for their wisdom and insights as well as encourage the birth of a bunch of new small groups to better join our lives together and grow the kingdom of God.
In short, our Christian life is not meant to be lived alone. Our doctrines point to the deep truth that God is to be found much more in the “WE” than in the “ME.”
Ash Weds is Feb. 10th. We are going to train our facilitators and begin gathering small groups all through January (all shapes and sizes: couples, singles, men, women, kids, no kids, workplace, under 20, over 40…the list goes on). We invite you to think about participating in a small group as part of your Lenten devotion (three or more people who gather each week for prayer, study and sharing). Need not be a parishioner to participate, so invite your friends, family and neighbors too if you like.
Sign up here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b48aaaa2fa2f85-ctrsmall
Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: http://crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.
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