1 Cor 12:31-13:13 Loving like a Christian

Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

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By BENEDICT AUGUSTINE

“When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”

 

This passage of Corinthians probably ranks among the most well-known in Bible; it is certainly the most famous words Paul ever wrote. Christians and non-Christian can recognize these words since nearly every wedding ceremony includes them. As they hear it read, the groom and bride can look at one another, meditate over the meaning of love and apply it to their own relationship: their love is patient, kind, humble, trusting, hopeful, strong. Although context of the passage frames love in a theological sense, not necessarily a nuptial sense, the newly weds will insist on treating Paul's love as a worthy description of the love they have for each other. While this may aptly serve the occasion of a wedding, understanding Paul's words as some schmaltzy ode to love ultimately cheapens its meaning.

 

First, one must consider Paul's audience. He writes this chapter on love in his letter to the Corinthians, a group of believers having problems working together because of their passions and jealousies. Far from exalting passions or the married life, Paul actually hopes to quell the passions and caution against married life (see 1 Corinthians Ch. 7). He reprimands the Corinthians for having cliques and division among themselves and for mishandling the Eucharist. Thus, when he speaks about love, he means love in the Church, between members, and love for God, which should unite all members. Marriage applies to this passage insofar as the couple intends to serve the Church together, raise their children in the faith, and have their relationship reflect Christ and His Church.

 

In order to make his logic of love apparent, Paul couples his discussion of love with his discussion of maturity. His mention of putting “aside childish things” sounds nice on its own, but it does not make as much sense when coupled with his discussion of love. Paul wants to make the point that children grow out of their ignorance, their silliness, and their overall helplessness; in other words, the “partial” life of a child passes away and the completeness of an adult sets in. In the same fashion, a person may know God partially as a child partially knows the world, yet he will eventually mature into a complete knowledge of God. Paul himself admits to knowing God only somewhat:  “At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”

 

This still does not resolve the question of why Paul juxtaposes these two ideas, love and knowing God, until we realize that love helps us to know God because God is love. Love serves as the foundation of the other two theological virtues, faith and hope, because love “believes all things” (faith) and “hopes all things” (hope). This love finally enables one “to endure all things” like sin, hardship, and even death so that one can finally experience God “face to face.” At the point that we experience God in heaven, hope and faith become unnecessary: we see the God we trusted and believed in, and we finally join with the God we always hoped for.

 

Until we love as Paul explains so eloquently, we remain children, ignorant and self-indulgent.  Love helps people mature out of their childish notions of God to a much richer and more resilient understanding of God. Jesus compares his generation to “children who sit in the marketplace” who complain that the world does not meet their expectations and, what is worse, does not even pay attention to them. They do not love the messiah or his prophet, but choose rather to contradict them out of pride. As a result, they never learn to love, but only to desire—which they mistakenly regard as “love.” Needless to say, this selfish love, that prevailed in the Roman empire as it does today, does not endure but fades into irrationality. Like a child, the man who loves falsely cannot recognize himself, let alone God and His Son.

 

Therefore, let us love as Paul tells us to love. It will not only make us strong and happy, but it will make us wise. In love, we may come to know ourselves,  our neighbors, and the Holy Trinity. With such knowledge, our lives will finally be complete and Heaven will have arrived.

 

LK 7:11-17 An Opportunity for Surprise

Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

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By KIM ELENEZ

 The other day a saw a story online where a woman in a Starbucks drive-thru line paid for the person behind her. Then the next person did the same. Then the next. Then the next. Apparently this went on for 10 hours. Did those people know it had been going on that long? Did they realize they were part of something so big? As the hours went on I’m sure some did, but many probably did not.

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain,

and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.

In today’s gospel Jesus continues to do His thing. The crowd that accompanied him likely varied from true believers to skeptics waiting to see something happen. Well, they hit the jackpot.

As he drew near to the gate of the city,

a man who had died was being carried out,

the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.

A large crowd from the city was with her.

Also in today’s gospel, a funeral is happening. The crowdthere likely varied from close friends to sympathetic acquaintances. They were not waiting for anything to happen. In fact they were very much stuck in the expectation that nothing would happen. What was done was done, this son was gone and that was that. They were having a very bad, but predictable day.

“Do not weep.”

He stepped forward and touched the coffin;

at this the bearers halted,

and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!”

The dead man sat up and began to speak,

and Jesus gave him to his mother.

Two crowds came together. Strangers with very different expectations, ideas and plans for that day. But the Lord connected them forever through his act of surprise andgrace.

Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming,

“A great prophet has arisen in our midst,”

and “God has visited his people.”

This report about him spread through the whole of Judea

and in all the surrounding region.

Once this miracle took place, the gospel tells us that the story spread far. I can imagine the commentary – “The most fascinating thing happened in Nain. Did you hear about it?” And then unlikely but delightful things would continue to happen. Believers were formed. Perhaps people would encounter other people who had already heard about it, and they would look at each other in amazement. A bond would form because they had heard, and they would share different aspects of what they heard, compare notes, etc.

This is a human truth. We walk into many days thinking we know what is about to happen, then inevitably – bam! Something happens that we didn’t see coming. Some days the bam is bigger than others; some days it’s exciting and some disappointing.  We bond with unlikely people over these occurrences. It’s unites us in knowing.

Do you think the woman who started that “pay for the guy behind you” coffee chain had any idea what she was starting? Doubtful. Though not even close on the scale of Christ’s miracles, this simple act of surprise and grace had an effect on both the people in line and all who hear the story. We delight in these stories because they remind us of the good of the world and the joy of being connected to each other. A glimmer of Christ’s surprise such as this will unite us and then change us. Inch by inch.

Whether you buy someone’s coffee or something much more significant, what will you do today to seize the opportunity to surprise? Don’t make just random acts of kindness, but rather create frequent acts of grace. Christ performed these glorious miracles for so many reasons;seek ways to share a piece of His grace where ever you can.

This meditation was written by Kim Elenez, wife, mother and media executive in Raleigh, NC. Kim converted to Catholicism in 2012.

Lk 7:11-17 Do Not Weep

Memorial of Sts. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
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Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.  As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow...When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep."

The only son of his mother.  Christ was the only son of his mother, and she wept at the foot of His Cross. 

Loss is loss, and it can shake up our faith. 

But it can also be the dawn of something amazing.  What exactly?  Only the Lord knows. 

Yesterday I had dinner with a family who lost their young adult son in a tragic construction accident.  His death, two years ago, is still very painful.  It was only recently that they ventured into his room to remove some of his possessions.  As they entered, they felt like they were going back in time.  His presence and scent were still there.

Just a few months ago the young man's mom and dad threw a birthday party for him and were amazed at how many friends showed up, around eighty men and women.  They were pleasantly shocked at what an impact their son had made on them, and how much his friends admired, respected and loved him.  They were also surprised to hear stories of how he voluntarily attended Mass, without their knowledge, and shared his Catholic faith with others.  Their son's life had changed lives.  His death had changed them for good.

Do not weep.  It's hard not to.  It's perfectly understandable, even for those who have a strong faith, like Mary.  But we must rejoice, rejoice in what a life and a death can do for others.  How it can actually save lives!

Sometimes our greatest testimony is given at the time of our passion and death.  It can leave an indelible mark for generations to come.  Is this not what Christ's passion and death has done for countless generations?

Today is a day to offer up prayers for all those who have lost a child or a loved one.  May the Lord comfort them in their time of grief and reassure them of His love, His providence and His scent.  The closer we are to the Lord, the more our lives will be an imitation of His and of His mother. 




P.S.  Feel free to leave the names of those you wish to have remembered in our prayers.

Jn 19:25-27 Sorrow

Our Lady of Sorrows

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By KATIE GROSS

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 there whom he loved
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 into his home.

Mothers are incredible. For a mother, nothing is more important in the entire world than her child. She wants to keep her child with her forever.

This past week, I went to a college fair affiliated with my high school. Looking at colleges is such an overwhelming process for me, especially because I still feel like I am twelve years old. I looked at a few colleges, but I just wasn’t feeling the crowds, the hundreds of booths, and especially thought of taking the SAT again (yikes). So, I called my mom and told her I wanted to leave. My mother is a very academic woman, so I thought she would be disappointed in me for not spending the entire time fawning over Vanderbilt and the Ivy Leagues. After all, she graduated top of her class in nursing school, and is still going back to school for more degrees in medicine. But instead, she just gave me a big hug and told me I could stay with her forever. Oh, mom. Clearly, I am not going to stay with my mother forever. But I am sure she would love that.

Or, has it ever occurred to you that your mother understands you better than you understand yourself? Sometimes, when I am in a bad mood and don’t really know why, my mom knows the reason better than I do. There is no better reader of facial expressions or tone of voice than a mother. More succinctly put, mothers understand.

I am positive that this is how Mary understood her Son. On a saccharine, cutesy level, she probably knew what Jesus’ favorite meal was. She dressed him, fed him, bathed him when he was a child. She probably knew all those seemingly inconsequential quirks about how Jesus liked things. For example, my mom has stored away in her brain (behind all the medical knowledge) that my favorite dinner plate isthe plastic one with the blue flower pattern on it. She knows which three exact brands of laundry detergent that I am allergic to. Mary knew all of those things about her Son.

If we want to understand Jesus, there is nobody better to ask than Mary. You can bet the farm that she didn’t only know the small things about him; she knew His personality, His way of going about the day, and most of all, how He loved the people around Him.

All that is cute and wonderful, but what we sometimes neglect about Mary is how much she suffered alongside her Son. How could she not? How could a mother bear to see someone that she knew inside and out being seized by cruel, unknowing savages and nailed to a cross? She had to see her Son, once so full of life, staggering and falling under the weight of sin. The head she had kissed and put to bed at night was now scratched beyond recognition, mocked with a crown of thorns.   How could a mother bear it?

This is another reason why we should love Mary so much: she could bear it because she knew that her Son was redeeming us. I heard a homily last night for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that made me think about this. The priest retold the plot of a movie he had seen. There was a father who brought his son to his work at a bridge crossing. The father’s job was to raise and lower the bridge so that trains could pass over the river. The father had to leave and attend to something, and left his son standing on the track because no train was scheduled for another two hours. However, while the father was gone, a train came early. He had to decide: should he lower the bridge and let his son be crushed by the train, or let the passengers on the train all plunge into the river? He ultimately decided in great agony to let the bridge down, killing his son.

The most obvious parallel that comes to mind with this story is the sacrifice of the Father in giving Jesus, his Son. But didn’t Mary do the same? Didn’t she give her beloved Son as well? She bore a lifetime of agony for our salvation. And she bore it willingly, without question or protest. How great must her love for us be!

Make her sorrow worth it. Be ever cognizant of the price that your mother paid for you. In the movie that I mentioned, only one woman saw the sacrifice that the father made. The rest of the passengers did not even notice. That one woman was a drug addict, and she realized the price that the father paid for her life. She then got clean and worked for her community for the rest of her life. Make that price worth it!

I’m no liturgical expert but in the Mass readings, there was this thing called a ‘sequence’ that was incredibly beautiful. I encourage you to read the whole thing, but this is an excerpt:

O sweet Mother! font of love,

Touch my spirit from above,

Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;

Make my soul to glow and melt

With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,

In my heart each wound renew

Of my Savior crucified.

​

Jn 3:13-17 Pray to be Brave

Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross
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Jesus said to Nicodemus:  "No one has gone to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man.  And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

I heard my phone go off at 4:00 am.  It was a text message from a former student of mine.  The message was simple:  "Are you praying for me?"  I wrote back:  "No.  I'm asleep."  This person wrote back:  "If I pass my entrance exam, I will send you a check for $500.00."  I wrote back:  "I'm on my knees!!!"

Crosses and Miracles.  This former student of mine graduated from College last year and got the job of her dreams:  to work in New York City and on Wall Street.  Little did she know how cut throat it would be.  She was a small fish among dozens of sharks.  Rich kids from across the country and from the best schools in the country were competing against her and each other.  If they failed to make the cut, then it would mean immediate termination.  For my former student, it would means she would have to leave the city, her apartment and her dream and look for another job.  She was petrified, and for good reason:  no one had passed.

Two hours later, I received a text message:  "What's your address?"  I was so proud of her!  I couldn't believe it!  She said she needed a miracle and she got it!  Her dream had come true.  Now what I believe made her victory even sweeter was the size of the Cross she had to carry.  It didn't matter if it were real or in her mind.  She had a super-sized Cross on her shoulders. 

Are you afraid of your Cross?  Are you afraid to carry it? 

Christ has given us a challenge, and it's not just to grudgingly carry our Cross but to accept it and embrace it.  Why?  Because He knows something we're afraid to admit:  The Crosses in our lives transform our lives.  They have the power to remove whatever is superficial - even harmful - in our relationship with God and neighbor, and to hold on to what is essential and noble:  faith, hope and love. 

If we accept our Cross, then we open the door to something amazing.  The Cross is what makes miracles possible, even definable.

Pride, Vanity and Sensuality.  Our Crosses feed our vices of pride, vanity and sensuality.  Let's face it:  we're all afraid to lose what we have earned (this is due to our pride); of what we have built, like our reputation (this is due to our vanity); and of undergoing pain and suffering (this is due to our sensuality). 

Our Crosses feed our fears and our fears feed our vices. 

But Christ nailed it!  His crucifixion makes us a little braver.  Why?  Because He did the impossible:  He took His Cross - a symbol of hatred, murder, evil, and torture - and turned it on its head and into the symbol of faith, hope, love, perseverance and unconditional love.  Christ on the Cross speaks to all of us and says "You're worth it!"  With God nothing is impossible.

This is a miracle, one of His greatest miracles.  No wonder why the Lord invites His friends to pick up their cross and follow Him.  How else would He expect us to transform the world we live in? Unfortunately, far too many of us succumb to the same temptation Christ withstood while on the Cross.  The temptation to prematurely come down from the Cross.  To come down before the "till death do us part" part.

Pick up your Cross, embrace it, and allow something amazing to happen!  This is Christ's story. This can be our story.  This is what makes a story an amazing story!  The Cross is what makes a story a great story and a life a great life.  Why?  Again, because the Cross opens the door to something amazing, which is an essential ingredient to every great story.  Doing what is right, what is good and what is holy (The Cross) should not be avoided.  It should be embraced.  Christians take vows at their marriages (The Cross). They accept unwanted children (The Cross).  They take care of their elderly parents (The Cross).  They do missionary work in crazy and dangerous places (The Cross).  They love their enemies (The Cross).  They forgive the unforgivable (The Cross).  They lay down their lives for others (The Cross).  None of this is because they want to.  It's all because they have to (The Cross).   

This is Christ's story.  This can be our story.  Overcoming the Cross is what makes a story a great story.  Hollywood calls this moment "the comeback."  Christians call it "The Resurrection."

Getting back to my story that opened up this meditation.  I think what this young person will most remember about her Cross is not so much the nervousness before her final exam, but how there was someone from Dallas who took the time to answer her text at 4:00 am.  How we carry our crosses and how we help others to carry their crosses is what people will most remember us for.  It's how we carried ourselves, which is the same as saying our Cross. 

Lk 6:43-49 Sacrifice

Saturday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

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By KIM ELENEZ

Ever wanted to do something but you couldn’t because of commitment or someone didn’t want you to? Of course you have! The more apt question is how many times did that happen this week! We sacrifice our time, talents and treasure all the time. But what do we sacrifice it for?

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?

I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,

listens to my words, and acts on them.

Last weekend a girlfriend in Atlanta invited me to go with her to an event where one of the speakers was Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times Best Seller Eat Pray Love. I could write 1,000 meditations on the experience, but I’ll stop much short of that and say – I enjoyed her talk, I did not agree with her thinking, andI’m glad I went. Based on a lot of what she said, Father Alfonse’s eloquent meditation on Monday “Are you spiritual or religious?” was very well timed!

That one is like a man building a house,

who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;

In today’s gospel, Luke accounts a simple analogy from Jesus - build your house (faith) on solid ground (Christ). Now, I’ve never built a house before but I would bet it’s whole lot more productive if you have at least one other person. Can you do it by yourself? Sure. It would be hard and take an incredibly long time, but I suppose it can and has been done. But if you can help it, why would you build it alone?

When Elizabeth Gilbert spoke last weekend, she shared details of her quest to find her purpose. If you haven’t read the book – here’s a quick summary: she leaves her husband and travels to Rome, India and Bali. She eats (pasta). She prays (sorta). She falls in love (of course). The premise in her talk was that she owed it to her herself to leave her life behind to find the life she was meant to live. I guess Elizabeth Gilbert thinks building a house by yourself is better.I’m in no place to judge Elizabeth Gilbert. Travel and exploration are a gift that I love. I pray that she discovers Christ in all corners of the earth and understands that all that is exotic comes from his creation. We can find our purpose by consistently listening to him in any and all geographies, including the one you are already in.

When the flood came, the river burst against that house

but could not shake it because it had been well built.

I am a convert to Catholicism, and you know converts can be a little different from Catholics born into the faith. Some of us tend to be a little more, I’ll say, chatty about it.  For me, I think it’s because I am trying to catch up. I had over 30 years of not knowing, and now I know! I want everyone to know! The more Iexplore our faith, the more I can feel the foundation strengthening under my feet. It’s addictive. I want to share it.

Together in this glorious religious community, we can build foundations and houses together. Sacrifice for each other – not out of burden, but out of hope and joy. We don’t need to leave this community; it goes wherever we do. The better we do, the more people will take note of it, too. The more people who take note, the more people will join us.

Let’s start here: I will pray for you. I hope you pray for me. I will support you by doing my best to model Christ’s love, and I hope you will do that for me. Because, my dear friend, we are in this together.

This meditation was written by Kim Elenez, wife, mother and media executive in Raleigh, NC. Kim converted to Catholicism in 2012.

Lk 6:39-42 Crossing the Finish Line With Both Eyes Open

Friday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
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Jesus told his disciples a parable:  "Can a blind person guide a blind person?  Will not both fall into a pit?  ...Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?"

This morning, at the elementary school Mass, I surprised our kids by pulling out a chocolate bar at the beginning of the homily. I asked them if they were interested in having it. Immediately, their hands shot up and they all yelled out "I do!!!"  I said, "Who really wants it?"  Again, they raised their hands and said, "Me!!!"  "Really?" I asked them, "Then who is willing to run around the school 10 times for this chocolate bar?"  They all kept their hands up in the air.  "Okay.  Who is willing to run around the school 20 times???"  No one changed their mind.  Finally, I said, "Who is willing to run around the school 30 times for this very small chocolate bar?"  No one turned away.

I couldn't believe it.  It was perfect.  I had the kids exactly where I wanted them.  Once the kids sat down and calmed down, I told them, "Do you realize how silly we are! We're willing to do a lot of work for just a little candy bar.  But do you realize that Christ has a better deal for us, like eternal life for those who follow Him?  That's right!  All we have to do is love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as much as the Lord loves us, and we gain eternal life.  Are you willing to do this? 

St. Paul wrote:  "Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize?  Run so as to win.  Every athlete exercises discipline in every way.  They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one" (1Cor 9:24-26).

We don't need to compete against each other.  We just need to run and cross the finish line. 

Tweezers for the heart.  Don't waste your time examining your neighbor's stride.  Run and never stop running!  Run in Christ's race.  Run in the greatest race ever.  Run to save your soul for all eternity.  Gear up for the race by gaining grace; that is, by removing the wooden beam from your own heart before carefully removing any splinters from the heart of your neighbor.  Do not allow yourself to be blinded by temporary or fleeting moments, personalities, struggles or successes.  Carry your Cross and keep up with the Lord.

Be loving and you will pick up speed.  Be brave and you will have the wind behind you.  Be forgiving...and you will float across the finish line. 

Cross the finish line with both eyes wide open.  Enjoy your life and have fun changing it.