Jesus said to Nicodemus: “You must be born from above. The wind blows where it wills, and you can
hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it
goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In today’s first reading, we learn how the early Christians lived: united, with one heart and mind; openly and
generously sharing their possessions with one another. In fact, one Christian was so moved by all of this sharing that he sold a piece of property he owned and brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles (cf. Acts 4:32-37).
They lived like the Lord by sacrificing like the Lord, who was rich but
became poor for our sake. Their unique
testimony (actually, unique love) helped bring about the conversion of
many.
Critics of the Church have often made the claim that the Vatican should
sell all their treasures and use the money to give it to the poor? Well, if we for a moment disregard the obvious fact that
no one in the Vatican owns the treasures of the Church (they belong to
the entire people of God, living and dead), then it is estimated that the Church’s treasures would bring
in approximately 6 billion US dollars, enough money to give one simple meal to every poor person in the world.
As you can see, the poor of the world would receive almost nothing while
the rich of the world would receive more treasures than they ever deserved.
It’s amazing how some people, who claim to be so intelligent and scientific,
are believers in some of the biggest myths and lies of all time.
If what I have written is still not so clear, then imagine for a moment
the First Family selling the White House to the wealthiest Americans. First of all, it doesn’t belong to them. Second, will it truly help the poor by eliminating the causes of poverty? Would the poor not remain poor and the rich only become richer and more influential?
The early followers of The Way had a really hard choice
to make: either live like the world or
live like the Lord. They chose the Lord.
This is not an easy choice to make, nor is it a one time deal. I don’t remember where I read this story or where I heard it, but it
might very well be an Aesop fairy-tale.
Anyways, the story goes something like this:
Once upon a time, there was a very wise and holy man who lived apart
from others. He would spend hours and hours
alone in prayer and meditation and would leave his home only when war broke
out. He was respected by all because he
knew how to bring peace. One day, two
students came to him to honor him and to learn from him. “We
want to follow you, for you have brought everlasting peace to our people,”
they said. But the wise and holy man
told them that peace will not come in this life for we are constantly at
war. The two young students did not understand
so the wise man continued. “There are two creatures that are inside of
us that are fighting each other. One
feeds on anger, resentment, bitterness, frustration, fear and doubts. The other feeds on mercy, forgiveness,
compassion, understanding and love.” The two pupils could not believe what they
were hearing. They asked the old man, “Which creature is stronger.” The wise man responded, “It depends. It depends on which
one you feed the most.”
From today's Gospel passage, it's not very clear who Nicodemus is. Is he a follower or is he not? Is he a believer or is he not? His life appears to be wrapped in confusion for he lived in the shadows of others during
the day, yet walked about freely with the Lord, but only in the middle of the night. He had a tough choice to make and it appears as though he never made it.
Let's decide today. We can either live in the shadows of others or we can break away and live
in the light of the Lord. Which will it
be?
Resolution: I will follow the Lord openly, honestly, and bravely.
I often wondered why so much money and time invested in building our Cathedrals and Vatican City were given to the Church so long ago, while their own homes were simple, nothing impressive. I read somewhere that if you look at most downtown cities, you will see it unfolding in front of your eyes. Early on, religion was the most important part of civilizations’ lives. The Cathedrals were built in the center of town, the tallest and grandest building….a reflection of their priorities. Then came government; so the center of town shifted a bit with a taller and grander City Hall, Capitol, etc. Now we see what our (collective) priority is with Wall Street, the tallest buildings in every city’s downtown area are our financial institutions. It is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteWhen I entered into St Jude’s Church in downtown Dallas for Mass over my lunch hour years ago, it was such a great experience. It was like I was in the Church’s womb: it was silent, dark and I was surrounded by heaven. I entered into my space with Christ. Then I step out of the Church into the noise, brightness, horns honking city, surrounded by homeless people with the Mercedes parked by Neiman Marcus. We can see the two worlds we live in if we open ourselves in spending our time, money and energy into God’s world, the Church. He is the one we will carry with us out into the busy city streets trying to figure it all out.
Thanks for the Aesops fable! I have been waiting for another fairy tale!! Together we can all choose to live openly, honestly and bravely.
"It’s amazing how some people, who claim to be so intelligent and scientific, are believers in some of the biggest myths and lies of all time. "
ReplyDeleteSuch as...?
Oh, let's see:
ReplyDelete1. the more you have, the happier you are. Do you want more?
2. That abortion is between a woman and her doctor.
ReplyDelete3. That gay marriage means marriage equality (What about those who wish to marry more than one person???)
4. The fewer the children you have, the better off they will be.
ReplyDelete1 and 4 are opinions, not lies. It is certainly possible to be happier when you have more than when you have less. Also what do you mean by "more" and "less?" Are people in third world countries who barely survive with less happier than middle class americans who have more? It is also possible that having fewer kids will result in them being better off. Maybe a family could provide enough for 2 kids to go to college, but not 3.
ReplyDelete2. If a single woman who has no family or friends is raped by an unknown assailant and becomes pregnant, who else is the abortion between? Even if there are other people directly involved, it does not mean that the abortion is between the woman, her doctor, her elected representatives, the pastor of a church she does not attend and all the people who protest abortion clinics. It should only be between people who are directly involved.
3. So are you in favor of treating homosexuals as second class citizens?
How many wives did king David have? Jacob? Abraham? As long as the marriage is between consenting adults, what is the problem? I think you are trying to invoke a slippery slope argument. The biggest problem with polygamy is when it is used by groups such as the FLDS as a means of controlling their people. It is often the case that the girls are being wed at ages around 12-14 and the people who benefit most from these marriages are the church elders. This creates a lack of marriagable females for the other male members, pushing them outside the group, helping to maintain power within the circle of elders. Maybe something similar to what animals such as elephant seals do, without the actual marriage of course.
Another issue is with the legal aspects of multiple marriages. If A and B also marry C then D, what happens if A and D want to get a divorce or marry E, but B and C do not? There are plenty of problems with inheritance, insurance, etc. that make the whole thing a legal nightmare. Family trees get a little wacky too.
I forgot how much I loved this meditation! Such a GREAT way to think - am I watering the weeds or the flowers of my thoughts? I cannot continue to do the same thing over and over and over again ......expecting a different outcome! It is the definition of insanity! and I just can't do it anymore. I will trust in God to provide The Way to meet my challenge! I won't give up! I won't! But I will wait on the Lord to give me a path of peace.
ReplyDeleteThank you Father!!! for all your words!