Lex Orendi, Lex Credendi?

For tomorrow's daily mass the readings continue to examine the Epistle of Saint James.  He continues to encourage us to work for God's kingdom and to avoid things of the world, things of the ego and of the flesh. He uses some pretty strong words, indeed.   He compares worldly things to adultery!  Why would he do that?   Because this thing we live as Christians is a relationship.  We, the Church, are the Bride of Christ. Greed, pride, and disordered attachments to worldly things are the very cause of our conflicts, arguments, even wars.  When we do these sorts of things we are breaking our relationship with Christ, we are 'cheating' on Him with something worth much less, with something inanimate.  It's a rejection of the one we should love completely and instead replacing it with something that doesn't fit.

You know those kid games?  The ones where you have all these different shapes and you have to fit the correct game piece into the right hole?  Well, each of us is created with a God shaped hole in our heart.  We can force something into it, for a time.. and it might even kind of fit.. but eventually it rubs us and chafes us.. because it's not the right shape, not the right size.  Only when we take a God shaped object and put it in a God shaped hole does our life become complete.. anything less... is adultery.. it's cheating.. it's avoiding the rules of the game and jamming something that shouldn't fit in there to try and fill up that hallow, empty place.

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

James reminds us of that saying: lex orendi, lex credendi.   That is: how we worship is how we believe.  If we worship as if God is the most important thing in our lives then that will help us form our belief, and vice versa.  If you worship like God is a thorn in your side, something that chafes and makes life harder?   So will you begin to believe.  I pray the liturgy of the hours every day.  I pray about an hour in the morning, fifteen minutes midday, and an hour a night.  Sometimes it's tedious and my mind wants me to think: I could be doing other things!  My favorite show is on!  The yard needs mowing!  I could be running or riding my bike!  So many excuses flow in that make me want to skip it.   If I continue to do that though, I am choosing the wrong shape to fit in my God shaped hole.   If I act like God is just something to fit in my schedule, well then I'm gonna start feeling that way.. treating him that way... Instead if I realize it's a gift to pray for the Church... a gift to spend time with the creator of the Universe praying the words He has revealed to us through the Holy Spirit.. If I instead treat it like the most precious thing in my life instead of something to just fit in, and I put God at the center of my day and then put everything else in my calendar, well that's when I am living out our relationship to it's fullest.

Jesus reminds us of that with a simple phrase: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”  A child is so trusting, aren't they?  Yesterday I got to see my twin nieces.  It doesn't matter how long it's been they run up to me, hug me and ask me to lift them up.  They play with me and of course want to see my phone.    They trust me.  There is joy in their eyes and hearts, a joy at seeing one that they love.  It reminds me of that poster in our lobby at the Church, the one for Food for the Poor, which reminds us of Matthew 25.   When did I see you thirsty?  Whatever you did for the least of these.   When did I see you hungry?  Whatever you did for the least of these.  When did I see naked?  Whatever you did for the least of these.  We are all made in the image of God... every person out there; especially the downtrodden, the widow, the orphan, the refugee, the immigrant, the poor; are not only God's children but to be seen as Christ in the world.  We are challenged to not only receive Christ in the Eucharist, but to go forth and look into the world with his eyes... we should look on those in need of our help with that same joy that my nieces exude when they see someone they love.

When we leave Mass it's not enough to just go home and wait for tomorrow, it's not enough to simply go about our day not thinking about Christ.   We are challenged instead to go forth and live our faith.  That Latin phrase has another part: Lex credendi, lex orendi, lex vivendi.  As we worship, so we believe, so we live.  The way we act in our worship, leads us to believe certain things, and believing certain things leads us to live a certain way.  If we worship in the Mass in a way that shows we believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist, our belief will grow to reflect that.  As our belief grows our lives will change.  We will go forth into the world attempting to feed the poor, give drink to the thirsty, comfort the widow and the orphan, find home and safety for all in peril, house and protect the refugee, and share Christ with every person we meet.   Both readings reflect a simple truth.. all of this requires humility.   It is in being a servant that we emulate Christ the most.  Are you ready to be a servant?  What better heart can Christ fill than the one that reflects His own?

His servant and yours,
Brian

"He must increase, I must decrease."

We are unprofitable servants

In tomorrow's readings for the Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, we see an interesting statement from Jesus.  How different things are today in our society, or at least they appear to be.  In the early times of humanity slavery was prevalent and a part of life.  How difficult a life it must have been for the slave to come in from the field and instead of getting to sit down after a long day at work, he must first prepare a meal for his master.  The servant of course did his job, and the parable asks the question "Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?"  An interesting thought isn't it.

Two things I think that I take from this interesting and challenging parable.  First and foremost, I think that we take for granted those around us.  How often we blow up when things don't go the way they should be.  The kitchen sink is full of dishes and we are quick to remind those around us that it should have been done.  The toilet paper is on the counter, just a mere 15 inches from the spool, and someone didn't go ahead and put it on? Someone unloaded the groceries into the cabinet but put the crackers in the wrong cabinet.  Oh, how we will let them know too, won't we? 

Do we though take time to notice when they do the things they are by nature supposed to do?  It's often only when they haven't done their job that we mention anything.  Why didn't you take out the trash?  Why haven't you picked up your room?  Why weren't you outside when I got here to pick you up?  Do we then also thank them when they do those things?  I think most of the time we forget to say a word, and I think that also causes strains on our relationships.   It seems like it's always negative.. never positive.  We need to make sure we say "Thank you for taking out the trash."  "I really appreciate it that you were on time today."  "Wow you're room looks nice, thanks for picking it up."  Are we treating our family like family? Or like we are their master and they our slaves?

The other thing though, in a more spiritual sense, is that the parable teaches us something very powerful about our relationship with God.  Saint Paul calls himself "a slave for Christ Jesus."  Often times we don't like that word.  The thing is though as Catholics we do indeed belong to our God.  We have obligations to Him, not to earn anything.. not to merit heaven, not to 'rack up' points.. but rather, because we are in a relationship.  God has come to be with us and he has said, "Look if you want to be in a relationship with me, this is how you need to act.. and this is how I will act."  "I will be your God and you will be my people." 

Too many think we Catholics think we are earning our way to heaven.  I think some Catholics even think that way.  The thing is salvation is by grace, and grace alone.  We don't earn it. We don't have to get more good points than bad points.  No, we believe that Jesus did everything necessary for us to get to Heaven on the cross.  It doesn't end there though.  It's up to us to continue and apply that to our lives.  We are His people now.  We do what we do because it's how we are supposed to act. We are His people, and as the Scripture proclaims, "They will know you are my disciples if you love one another."  Grace is free. We must take it though, and use it.. apply it.. spread it into the world. Not because we will be rewarded for doing what we should be doing.. .no, much like the slave, we shouldn't expect thanks for doing it.. it's just what we should be doing by our nature...

I think though that this parable also challenges us to go beyond just that "which we ought to do."  Too many think of our faith in simple terms of "what is the least I can do to get to Heaven."  Rather, we don't want to be unprofitable servants who have just done what "we are obliged to do."  No, we want to go above and beyond.  We want to do not just the bare minimum, but to do the most we can.  It's not about the part we have to give, it's about giving it all.  It's about giving your very life, every ounce of energy, every thought, every word, every penny, every single second of your time for the Kingdom of God.  It's about getting to the point where we aren't looking for a reward at the end, but we are just giving it all because we love God, and we love our neighbor.  It's about running that race, one day at a time.. in hopes that we can cross the finish line..   It's not a bar to hit, not a minimum to achieve.. it's a relationship.. with a person named Jesus.

How do you want to cross the line into Heaven?  Do you want to come across the line and Jesus look at you and say "You are an unprofitable servant.  You have only done what you were obliged to do."  Or do you want him to say, "Well done my good and faithful servant," and again, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. "


I don't know about you... but I've got some work to do. Are you with me?

His servant and yours,
Brian