Tag: Kathryn Mulderink

Peace and harmony, love and unity and every good thing. Isn’t that what we all hope for, what we pray for, what we sing hymns about?  Isn’t that what Jesus came to bring to earth?

Apparently not.

Jesus says he came to bring fire and division. “I have come to set the earth on fire…! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

Wait. What?

Fire and division? What kind of fire? What causes the division?

The fire that Jesus wants to set on the earth is not a destructive fire, but a creative fire, the Fire of Love, the Fire that is the Spirit – the Spirit that IS the Fire of Jesus, sent from the Father and the Son. The Spirit that sheds the light of Truth on everything, the Spirit that is the Word that is a Lantern to our path, the Spirit that comes from the Father and the Son and allows God to be “over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6), the Spirit that consumes everything that is not Love so that Love can reign. The Spirit of Love that draws all souls to the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. That is the Fire that Jesus came to set on the earth, and why he was in anguish; without this spiritual fire, we are dull and lifeless.

And those who choose this Spirit, those who allow themselves to be ignited with the life-giving Love of God, will be opposed by those who do not! Even within families, there will be division because those who resist the Spirit cannot understand those who surrender to the Spirit; those who are living only a natural life cannot understand those who are living a supernatural life. Households will be in disagreement, but the patience of those who are filled with the Spirit can eventually share that radiant joy and love and unity with others!

So, Jesus ultimately DOES want peace and unity, in love. But not a shallow and superficial unity that is no more than mutual tolerance in order to avoid confrontation or authentic conversion. Jesus wants a communion that is true and deep and bubbling up from the Springs of the Spirit, a communion that is only possible when we are whole and free, a communion that it is everlasting.

In this world, that kind of communion will always encounter opposition. It is our task to reach out to the opposition in patience and love, knowing that the Spirit can make all things new. 

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**Post for 10-10-2021**

Is it easy to get to Heaven? Does everyone get in, in the end? What does it cost?

These are important questions for framing our worldview, our outlook on life, the way we approach decisions and choices in our daily life. Because if it is easy to get into the heavenly Kingdom, if everyone is admitted in the end, if it costs little, then the little decisions of our daily lives aren’t that important.

If, on the other hand, it is hard to enter the kingdom of God, if it is, in Jesus’ own words, IMPOSSIBLE for human beings to be saved, then we’d better have a good plan.

The Good News is that WE don’t actually need to come up with a plan on our own. Since the beginning, God Himself has had a Plan in place, because “all things are possible for God,” even – especially – things that are utterly impossible for us.

The rich young man has a poor plan. He seems to think that obeying the commandments is enough to get into the kingdom; he may even be asking Jesus the question about what he must do to inherit eternal life so that he can go away feeling justified after declaring that he observes all the rules. But instead he goes away sad, because Jesus tells him there is more. “You are lacking in one thing,” and directs him to sell everything so that he is free to follow Him.

“He had many possessions,” and he was not ready to let go of them. Possessions (material and immaterial) give security, comfort, prestige, even popularity and power. Following Jesus without clinging to stuff requires us to let go of the superficial securities and comforts of our stuff; letting go means trusting Jesus completely, and not our own resources.

Jesus was giving the man the opportunity of a lifetime – to jettison all the stuff he was hanging onto so that his hands would be free to embrace all that the Lord wanted to give him. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let go. So he went away sad.

But there’s still Good News, because the man was not lost forever. Jesus didn’t say, “FAIL! You’ve missed your chance, and now you are forever excluded from the Kingdom.” He never does, because Jesus never runs out of options. The Lord is infinitely creative in opening opportunities for us to see what we are and holding up a vision of what He calls us to be, inviting us to let go of what we think is valuable so that we can open our arms to embrace all He longs to give us.

We can hope that this man who went away sad thought again returned to receive what he was being offered.

And we can too. Missed opportunities are not the end of our story. The Lord is still offering us opportunities to say YES to Him! Today, let’s say YES anew! 

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The starkness of today’s readings is in sharp contrast to the saint we celebrate today. Against the readings of Babylonian captivity and the Psalmist’s lament over the defiling of the Temple and Jerusalem, and Jesus’ words of condemnation of the cities who refused to hear the Good News, we celebrate the Memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the 24-year-old Carmelite nun from Lisieux, often referred to as “The Little Flower” for her humility and childlikeness. This charming nickname may obscure the truth that Therese, though young, was a mighty and heroic spiritual warrior, who fought victoriously against temptations to doubt and despair amidst a prolonged interior dryness and desolation. A little flower with the tenacity of a Saguaro cactus in the desert, growing and blossoming.

Many of us have St. Therese tales, but let me share one with a lesson. Once, when I had a serious decision to make, one that would affect a big project and many other people as well, I did my due diligence: prayed for light and peace, sought spiritual direction, talked with other people involved, etc. There was mixed feedback, but it seemed clear that Choice B was better than Choice A, even though it would be very difficult. In spiritual direction, I was told “If X doesn’t happen, then you will need to choose B.” Well, X did not happen, but I really didn’t want to choose B, because I knew it would have a negative affect on this good project. 

I had to decide by the end of the day. So I prayed to St. Therese: “I don’t usually ask for a sign, but this is really serious, and really difficult. So could I please receive some of those roses you promised to shower from heaven?” Then I prayed my “cheater novena” – every hour for nine hours I prayed, “St. Therese the Little Flower, show me your power within the hour.” No roses came. The moment of decision arrived, and I was in knots of confusion; either choice would involve some hardship for me and my family and others. “St. Therese, help me see this with your simplicity!” I prayed, and then gently knew I had to simply follow the spiritual direction I’d been given. So, I chose B, let all the people involved know of my decision, and drove home, weary and stressed. And there, on the kitchen table were a dozen roses! My first thought was, “What? Why didn’t these come an hour ago?!” But the answer came in the second thought: I had to learn to OBEY the spiritual direction I receive, even when it’s truly confusing, but St. Therese sent those roses as a confirmation of my decision. This confirmation brought me the peace I needed to endure the difficult repercussions of that difficult decision.

St. Therese, with her tender heart, hears our prayers and intercedes for our tender hearts, so that we receive just what we need to get us through difficult times.

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Getting up can be difficult – getting up in the morning, getting up from the couch, getting up to help someone. I like sitting down myself. Getting up is a big change; a change of posture, certainly, but also a change of ATTENTION, a change of INTENTION. One moment I am doing one thing, the next moment I have gotten up to do SOMETHING ELSE. It’s human nature to want to remain where we are, to be undisturbed from whatever we are doing. Change is hard. Change requires a decision and a choice.

Matthew was sitting. He was at his customs post, waiting to collect more money, probably counting the money he had. Maybe he was figuring sums as he sat. Maybe he was sitting there figuring out how to find real fulfillment in his life, we don’t know. His Gospel doesn’t tell us, and doesn’t flatter him in any way. It tells the truth in such simplicity we might miss the monumentalness of it all:

“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.”

He GOT UP. He made a decision and a choice to change. He changed his attention and his intention. One moment he was doing one thing, the next moment he got up to do something else. He responded to a call. He literally rose to the occasion.

Clearly, he was moved by grace to do this. Clearly, he saw something in this carpenter from Galilee that promised more than the money he had been counting. And clearly, he wanted to share this with his friends (who were clearly tax collectors and sinners) because he invited them to dinner with Jesus. And Jesus’ answer to the ever-skeptical Pharisees gives us some insight into the reason for the calling of Matthew: “Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew wasn’t perfect; but Jesus would perfect him.

Three lessons blaze up like fire from this short Gospel:

First, God does not wait for us to get all our spiritual affairs in order and to do everything right before he calls us! He calls us, the spiritually sick and imperfect, to follow him so that we can be healed and perfected by his Presence.

Second, we must respond to the call of Christ by GETTING UP and making a decision and a choice to change our attention and our intention. We must turn from one thing to another, from a lesser thing to the best thing, which is the will of God for our lives.

Third, others may question this change in us. No matter. Our witness to the mercy of God will outshine any ridicule or questions. For our part, when we are called, we must GET UP and follow wherever He leads. This is our YES to God.

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True story: the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, St. Helena, went to Jerusalem in search of the actual places in Jesus’ life. In the process, she had the Temple of Aphrodite torn down because it was said that it had been built over Jesus’ tomb. As they were tearing it down, three crosses were found. How were they to know which one had held the Savior? It is said that it was identified when it was the one which immediately healed a dying woman. Constantine then built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre on that spot, and it was dedicated on September 14. This date and the cross itself have been venerated ever since the 4th century.

We all know what a cross is, what THE Cross is, and yet its very familiarity can obscure the profound meaning because we have never actually seen a cross in its original use: as a terrible instrument of torturous execution used by a cruel and barbaric “government” to control people and maintain power. People – many people – died horribly and publicly throughout the Roman Empire on crosses so that others would get the message to “stay in line” and not go against the system. Nothing to “exalt” there. 

Today, we don’t celebrate crucifixion. We celebrate ONE CROSS of ONE PERSON who suffered and died a horrible and public execution FOR US. This particular Cross is therefore the place and instrument of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death FOR US. It is the celebration of our own salvation, which we can never forget came through the obedient suffering and death of Jesus. Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, emptied himself and became one humbled, persecuted, and condemned FOR US. Crucified. FOR US.

When we make the Sign of the Cross over ourselves today, let’s make a point to recall that our ability to live in grace comes from the Cross, our very existence today comes from the Cross, our hope in eternal salvation comes from the Cross. Everything we do today that is good and true and beautiful is possible because of Jesus’ death on the Cross. FOR US.

We adore You, O Christ, and we bless you, because by Your Cross You have redeemed the world.

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When most of us are trying to make a decision, we focus on which option will bring us the most satisfaction. Will this make my life easier, help me feel better about myself, fit into my schedule, etc. Do I want this, or that?

In today’s Gospel, we see how Jesus makes decisions: he spends the night in prayer so that he can learn what the FATHER wants. Before choosing the Twelve Apostles (those who are sent) from among the disciples  (those who are followers), he consults with the Father, to know what HIS will is, to conform his own will to the eternal, perfect, holy will of the Father. This gives us an insight into the interior of Jesus’ own Heart, and into his total communion with the Father: Jesus always desires to glorify the Father by obeying His will in all things, even unto death. Even as Jesus struggles in Gethsemane, he prays, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

This is the model we are called to conform ourselves to in becoming disciples of Jesus, isn’t it? We don’t conform ourselves in a superficial way, but we conform our hearts to HIS Heart, our wills to HIS will, and we become configured to HIS way of life so that, filled with HIM, the Father looks on us and says the same thing He said at the Jordan and at Tabor: “This is My beloved son.” We are His beloved sons and daughters who are called by name to participate in His awesome Plan for our salvation and the salvation of others, and to be with Him beyond the grave.

Tomorrow we celebrate the birthday of Mary, Mother of God and our Mother. Mary is the perfect model for us of complete obedience and a ready “yes” to whatever God asks. She meant her “yes” at the Annunciation all the way to the Cross and beyond, with all that God’s will demanded. Let’s ask Mary to intercede for us before the Throne of Grace, that we may also conform ourselves through obedience to the Will of God, just as Mary’s Heart and Jesus’ Heart beat with that one desire.

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Today’s Gospel is a bit difficult to apply because we are so far removed from the cultural references – virgins? bridegroom? wedding feast? oil lamps?

If the “wedding feast” here refers to Heaven, and the bridegroom is Jesus himself (images already present in the Old Testament), then we see that the Church is the Bride of Christ, and each one of us is also his bride.  

Those waiting for the bridegroom are described as “virgins” – those who seek “the one thing necessary”, as Jesus said (Lk 10:42); their souls thirst for the Lord (Psalm 63); they are focused fully on being ready for Jesus to return for them. He is delayed and comes at midnight to bring the virgins into the feast with him when they have all become weary and fallen asleep, but only half of them are prepared. The foolish half did not bring enough oil to keep their small lamps burning and had run out. The wise ones brought enough to wait right through the heart of the night, so they replenish their oil and stoke up their flames.

What is this “oil”? The oil that keeps their lamps burning to the end of their lives when Jesus comes to bring them into the Heavenly Feast signifies grace and love, their loving desire, faithfulness, and prayer, their pure and burning offering of themselves to him.  

The foolish ones think of these things as a superficial commodity they can run out and get at the last minute, but growing in love and grace and becoming the person we are created to be is the work of a lifetime. This is why the wise virgins cannot give any of their oil to the foolish ones – the oil is a specific image of Christ-life within each of us, and the warmth and light that come from deep devotion and fidelity cannot be handed off to another at the last minute.

Jesus tells us that he has come to cast a fire on earth (Lk 12:49), and he desires that it burn in a unique way in each of us. This fire that God longs to see in each soul grows throughout our spiritual journey, gradually taking its shape in the depths of our relationship with the Lord and with one another. We can let our light shine for others, and others may light their lamps from this fire, but the oil must come from each person’s cooperation with the work of the Holy Spirit within them, as they become a unique Image of God.

This is the goal of each individual life and of the whole of human history – to grow in our relationship with God in such a way that we burn with the radiance for which He created us so that He knows us as His own and we light up the world and heaven in the way that He has called us to shine.

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What is faith? How big is faith? How big is it supposed to be?

How big is a mustard seed? Is tiny faith enough to do big things? Why would we ever want to move a mountain?

These are the questions my 7-year-old self asked when I first heard the words of this Gospel:

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.”

Will it? I can’t even seem to say to my children, “Move from here to there,” and they will move…

Well, faith is not a thing that we can hold or measure. And it is not simply an idea that we carry in our heads, where we say we believe all things. Faith is a RELATIONSHIP. Tiny relationships with powerful Persons can indeed move mountains.

Faith is my personal relationship with the reality of God. Relationships are built on deep trust – in this case, deep, unshakeable trust in the power and goodness of a loving God. This relationship, this essential connection with the One Who IS, the One Who IS LOVE, is a sharing in the very power of God.

But it doesn’t stop there. Because if my faith is authentic and selfless, if my connection with the reality and power of God is what it should be, it transforms my attitudes and creates a new vision in which I live and think and act. If my whole self is turned toward the healing and empowering Presence of God, if my faith seeks salvation and justification from God alone in Christ, then I also allow Jesus to act in me and through me AS HE WILLS, because I trust that He knows best, He gives all we need, He makes all things new! As Erasmus Leiva-Merikakis says, “It means the deep and joyful reception of the mustard seed of His life into the earth of our being, where it may grow into a fruitful Tree of Life.” (Leiva-Merikakis, E. Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, (Vol. 2, p. 587). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.).

On our own, we can do nothing. But with faith in God, “Nothing will be impossible for you.”

On our own, we are on our own. But with deep faith in God, we can be made new and filled with Life.

Let’s pray that the Spirit will breathe into us this kind of true, humble, loving faith, which will allow us to be transformed and enable us to do great and beautiful things for God.

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Today we hear Jesus’ explanation of the parable that was read at Mass on Saturday (Matt 24-30).

The Son of Man sows the good seed that is the “children of the Kingdom” (that’s us) in the field that is the world. Meanwhile, his enemy (and ours) sows his own seed, “the children of the Evil One,” in amongst the good seed. Why does the enemy do this anyway? Because the devil hates God but cannot attack God, he uses every possible means to wound God by attacking what God loves most: His Incarnate Son, and the members of His Body, the Church.

Does the enemy do this in broad daylight? No! The enemy always works in the dark, “while everyone was asleep.” This begs the question of whether the enemy would be ABLE to sow his wicked seeds IF THE CHURCH WERE AWAKE and ever vigilant! We can’t say. But we know that God allows the good and the bad to grow together, to give the good seed ample time to establish solid roots and adequate strength. And we can expand this parable to suggest that weeds and wheat can actually change one another somehow – wheat can be infected and become weedy, and weeds can absorb the light and life of wheat and be transformed. No one is definitively in one category or the other until “the end of the age”; until then, we must guard against absorbing the weed-ness around us and hope that every weed will ultimately be changed into wheat. We pray that with enough time, and nourishment, and the quiet miracle of grace that makes repentance and conversion possible, the weeds sown by the enemy to destroy the harvest will be transformed.

There is a cosmic battle going on, and we are part of it! This is no myth: God is real and Satan is real and we are really part of a battle being waged beyond our eyesight. St. Paul tells us to “put on the armor of God” because we are struggling “with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph. 6:11-13). But we do not say that there are two equal kingdoms in this battle – the devil is not equal to God. We do not say that the devil creates his own kingdom – he can create nothing. But the enemy works to vitiate God’s kingdom by fouling up what is good, true, and beautiful. He works furiously to spoil God’s work, but he is still God’s creature, only able to sneak around in the dark confusion doing what God allows for a greater good.

In the parable, the master shows no panic when the servants report the weeds. It’s almost as if he expected the enemy would sow them, and he planted the wheat anyway. This is the risk Love takes: knowing the hostility of the enemy and the fragile freedom of our will, God plants us into the Kingdom anyway. We must work to transform the weeds into wheat!

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I was on the edge of my Kindergarten seat, hoping to be called by the teacher to run the weekly errand of taking the attendance sheet to the Principal’s Office (which was practically next to our classroom). Why was this desirable? I think it was because only the reliable kids were entrusted with this task – the ones who would be certain to do just what they were given to do without childish dilly-dallying. The Friday that I was called, I was elated and couldn’t wait to get home to tell my mom.

Have you ever been chosen from a crowd to participate in the task of the moment in a particular way?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus chooses twelve men from among those who followed him as disciples. A disciple, or pupil/student, chooses which teacher to follow; an apostle is chosen by the teacher for a specific task. This reading from Matthew is the first time the word “apostle” is used in the Gospel, and these twelve specific men are identified. We can see them as very real people (identified by name), flesh and blood and fallenness (among them are a tax collector and a betrayer), men with family trees (they are brothers and sons), a band of men who knew each other and their idiosyncrasies. Men who had to respond to a special personal call of Jesus, and who were then sent to bear Jesus himself into the world.

This call comes in three parts: Jesus “summons” them to himself, he instructs them and gives them “authority over unclean spirits…and to cure every disease and every illness”, and he sends them out. His first sentence to his would-be followers (after his baptism in the Jordan) is: “Come, and see.” His final words on earth (just before his Ascension into Heaven) is: “Go and make disciples.” First, come and be with him; then, go out to others.

This is the nature of every call or vocation: we are called to Christ (in baptism and in successive “calls” through our lives), we are given a share in his own authority and power (through study and prayer and the sacraments), and we are sent forth for others. The gifts that we are given are not for ourselves only; they are given to us so that we can use them in service to others. In fact, like the Twelve Apostles and countless saints after them, we are called to pour ourselves out completely to fulfill this call – all twelve of them were martyred for remaining faithful to this call of Christ!

My five-year-old self only wanted to be called to do something special; there was not even an understanding of service to others. A Christian call is much deeper than this, demanding a commitment of our whole self to the cause of Christ, for God’s glory, our own good, and the good of others!

What is God calling you to today?

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“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”

 Sometimes, this verse is misunderstood to mean that we cannot judge actions as right or wrong, and so to mean we must tolerate serious wrongdoing because “it’s none of my business.” And if we judge others we will be severely judged. But elsewhere, Jesus tells us to “judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). So, we CAN judge, but we shouldn’t?

 Sometimes, this is (more correctly) understood to mean that we can judge actions but not people. We should not condone sin, but we cannot condemn a sinner. This is certainly true, but where is love in this interpretation? Refusal to judge must be filled with genuine love for the other, and a desire for their good. A “parable” from Erasmus Leiva-Merikakis in his wonderful reflection on the Gospel of Matthew entitled Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Ignatius Press) invites us to a subtler reflection on how we might apply these words to our lives:

 A beggar comes to my door asking for water to quench his thirst. I will not turn him away, because I fear some neighbor might observe my disdain. At the same time I do not consider the beggar worthy of touching with his lips more than the smallest tin cup in the house, which I quickly fill and brusquely hand him, so carelessly that half the cup spills. The cup is so small and mean, in fact, that I tell him to keep it. In reality, I don’t want to waste my time in such company.

 Much time—a whole lifetime—passes, and I find myself in the presence of Christ the King and Judge. I anxiously await my reward: I have always revered God, kept the commandments, observed the Lenten fasts, and celebrated the Church’s feasts with due solemnity. The King hands me back my tin cup, which I had long forgotten and certainly did not expect to see again in this eschatological setting. Seeing the look of dismay on my face, and with an infinite kindness in his voice that almost has the pleading tone of a beggar in it, Christ says to me: ‘I’m sorry, friend. Even I, the King, have no other cup to give you.’

Taking on ourselves the role of judge closes us up against all that the Lord wants to give us! It is not simply a fear of judgment that should align us with these words of Christ, but the awful truth that the capacity of our own hearts for love and forgiveness and God is constricted when we ignore them! To become “perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect,” we must share his loving and forgiving view of all of creation, particularly those we find difficult.

How can we see others through the lens of genuine love today?

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We’ve all heard the axioms about giving: Be generous. It’s better to give than receive. Do not let the right hand know what the left is doing. We must give of our time, talent, and treasure. 

And we do! We give gifts to others to celebrate special events. We donate to good causes. We buy the little trinkets or subscriptions or chocolate for our neighbor’s fundraiser. We contribute to our parish and diocese.

But HOW do we give? Do we give immediately and generously? Do we sacrifice our own time to do good to another? Do we give of our talents even without repayment or recognition? Do we give from our surplus only? Do we give only after we have secured our own retirement, or our own wants, or our own savings account? These are not bad things to do, but today’s readings make a point: TRUE GIVING is an act of love for another, and an act of trust that God will take care of us.

“A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness,” Raphael tells Tobit and Tobiah. Would you leave your dinner to get cold while you did something for someone else? Giving up their dinner in order to bury the dead brought down the blessing of healing on Sarah. In the Gospel, the widow who gave from what she actually needed had given more than those who gave only from their excess. It was her complete trust in the Lord’s providence for her that allowed her to give what others might have held onto as “necessary” or even “prudent.” And she did it in secret: no one saw this but Jesus. This is in contrast to the Scribes Jesus warns about: those who give publicly for public recognition, those who make a show of their praying or doing or giving so that others will praise them for their “goodness.” It is not WHAT they give, but HOW they give it that makes the difference.

Essentially, if we give so that others will see our generosity, we make ourselves the recipient of our own “gift”! We are really doing it for our own benefit, and not only for the benefit of others, or for the Lord. But as today’s Communion Antiphon reminds us, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it in eternity” (Mt 10:39). We are called to “lay down our lives,” trusting in the Lord, by giving all we have and all we are in service and in praise to God.

Today, let’s sit with the Lord and look at our giving to make sure it aligns with His glorious invitation to us: to offer our time, talent, and treasure for the good of others, without mixing in the need for recognition and without putting ourselves ahead of our gift.

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