Advent, Wheat and Tares

Lolium temulentum. That's a big word there, but it's one we need to understand as Christians. Many people in other countries already know this plant, but it's called by a more common name. Darnel or cockle. It's also called false wheat. Why is this important to us as Christians, and how does this pertain to Advent?

Jesus gave us a parable about the weeds:

Mathew 13:24-30 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

It's really important to understand the spiritual nature behind this simple parable. So many of us are living in a false sense, that God has freed us from any sort of obedience, that we have grace and as such we do not have to produce fruit. While grace is indeed sufficient, if you have truly received grace, you will produce fruit. As James so succinctly put it, Faith without works, is dead. (James 2:17)

What does this have to do with wheat? Well this parable so eloquently describes something that would have been completely apparent to the audience of the time, especially the farmers. When wheat becomes ripe, it's fruit is heavy. It bows down under it's weight. Much like we Christians, bow down in obedience to God! When we produce fruit, spiritual fruit, we are acknowledging God as our Lord. We, like wheat, bow down.

The tares were false wheat, sowed by the enemy. They look like real wheat, they even grow much the same, but when it's time for harvest, their fruit is very light. They stand up tall. Much like many false Christians, try to stand by their own works. They stand up in front of God saying, “I did all this, I should get into heaven!” Instead, our Lord walks through and he picks the tares, which are obvious because they are not bowing down like the wheat. He throws them in the lake of fire.

It's important that we produce fruit, it's important that when we get before God, we do not say “Look at all my fruit!” Instead we say, “Thank you for your work on the Cross, because you first loved me, I have loved you. I have done these things in your name!” We need to produce fruit, and we need to be obedient to our Father. We are free from the law, but we are obedient in Love. We now live in the Law of the Spirit, not the law of the flesh.

Galatians 5:22-26 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

This Advent let us examine ourselves. Let us make sure that we are producing fruit, that we are bowing humbly before the Lord! Let us reaffirm that we are among the wheat, the child of God!

In Christ,
Brian

Advent, Moses, and Pillars

Many times we avoid the Old Testament. What with the begets, the counting of the tribes of Israel, the pain, the seemingly angry and destructive ways of God; many of us just choose not to read it. When we read it in light of the New Testament and the Creed we find some amazing lessons that are just as applicable today as they were more than 2000 years ago. During the season of Advent it's important that we remember many of these very lessons as we await the coming of Christ in His Parousai.

When God called the Egyptians out of slavery in Egypt into the desert, many of them were scared. In fact, many of them quickly fell away forgetting what God had just done. He parted the red sea and immediately after they sang praise to Him. Just a short few days later they were building new gods in the shape of golden cows and having big parties to worship them. These were the same people that witnessed God's plagues on the Egyptians and their 'gods'.

Then God led them to the promised land. Think about that for just a moment. God took them straight to the land He had promised to their people, and they were scared to go in. These are the same people who have seen Egypt put to shame, the very sea itself part at His command, and heard the very voice of God calling from the mountains in lightning and thunder! So they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. We call it wandering. In fact, they were following God. He 'led' them through the wilderness. He made them follow Him to teach them to trust in the Lord their God.

Exodus 13:21 -By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

How does this apply to us? We as Christians are also on a journey to the promised land. Jesus said as He ascended that He was going to prepare a place for us, He promised us a land! Some of us are in our own self imposed deserts as well. We have the opportunity to experience the promised land in a special way right here on Earth. We even pray that God's will be done here, as it is in Heaven. Many of us see God's promise to be with us as only a future event, but our faith teaches us that God is with us always. He is our pillar of fire, leading us through the desert of the world. God calls us HIS temple. If God is in our hearts, aren't we already in Heaven in a way?

I know, I know! Heaven is a real place and it is a place we will go to later. But we can live with our hearts IN Heaven! Especially when we acknowledge the presence of God in our lives! In the young man who helps the lady across the street. In the poor child who gives up his only toy, for his friend. In the man across the street who is asking for a cup of coffee. In the random stranger who walks up and says exactly what you needed to hear, at the very moment you needed to hear it.  In worship! In communion with God! In the Eucharist!

How many of us are right on the edge of the promised land, looking in and turning back only to wander in the desert of the world? Do we have the faith it takes to stand up against the giants of THIS land, and declare it God's? Or do we simply go on in life longing for Heaven, forgetting that this very morning we prayed 'Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven?"

In Christ,
Brian

Simple Changes, Not So Simple Thoughts

Our Parish Priest made the following statement on his Facebook wall, “Tell me what you think of this phrase: "Pray brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the almighty Father." How simple that seems to be, and in fact I thought the answer was clear in front of me. (Which I think is really the purpose of his statement, to make us think.) What does it mean? As a man who is fairly new to the Catholic faith (I'm not even Catholic, yet), it's very interesting to me to consider just such a thing.

How does a change from “Pray brothers and sisters that our sacrifice may be acceptable to God the almighty Father” to “my sacrifice and yours” change the tone of the sentence? For me it makes me actually have to think about what the sentence says. The first thing that pops out to me is the word “pray”.

Notice it's not someone asking you to pray, but rather it's in the imperative form. That tells me something important about this sentence, in fact it tells me that the priest, or rather the person speaking at the time, is telling me to pray. Who is speaking? The priest... and yet more. You see the priest is physically speaking yes, but he is reading the liturgy. The liturgy is formed by the church. So the church is speaking. The church is formed by Christ and contains the living Word of God, after all we believe our churches are led by the Holy Spirit. So not only is the priest talking, but the church is talking, which means the Word is talking.. which means.. Christ is talking. Christ is telling me to pray.

That blows me away. (I find myself using this phrase a LOT lately.) Christ commands me directly, Pray that our sacrifice, mine and yours may be acceptable. Now I know Christ's is acceptable. What does that mean? It means we are commanded to pray that our sacrifice will be joined to Christ's. That what we offer will be made worthy, because on it's own, mine is NOT worthy. (We all know this.) So first from this very simple change, I see that while the word “our” conveys a similar concept, the new wording shows us something very deep and special... that Christ's sacrifice and ours, are not the same.. but we can join in the sacrifice and through Christ's sacrifice, ours can be made worthy. Mine AND yours. Mine + yours. If ours is not offered in truth and spirit, can it be joined to Christ's? Can it be made worthy?

Yet, we also have to consider that in fact the priest is talking as well. It reminds us that the priest, while a man like the rest of us, also has a much different calling than we do. As a man who has received Holy Orders he also has taken a vow of chastity. He has given his entire being to serving the church and Christ. He has given a sacrifice that many of us are unable to make. Many of us choose to marry, to take on vocations outside the church, to serve not only God but our families and lives. There is nothing wrong with that. But our sacrifice is not the same one he is making.

It also makes another imperative present. We are to pray for our priest! All too often we are quick to condemn the clergy. To look at their actions and dissect them. “Oh I saw the priest from so and so parish last week, and he was drinking and playing cards!” “I once heard a priest had done something really bad, yet he was at church the next day!” “That Pastor used to be a drunk, I can't believe He is a preacher!” It happens in all religions. We judge people on their actions and forget that though they are men of God, they are also men. They need our prayers. We are to pray that their sacrifice is worthy!

So it reminds us that not only is the sacrifice different, but it's also an imperfect one, just like ours. That our priests can make mistakes, but they also receive grace from God in this simple ceremony. That it's not just we, the people in the audience, who receive grace, but also our men of God. They need grace too.

Then there is another thing that we also have to see. In English it's hard to notice the tone of the word 'your'. Because in English, your can mean both singular and plural. We have to simply take the context and attempt to determine who they are talking to. However, in the original Latin it says vestrum, which is the second person plural for yours. Think about that for a minute. We are not just commanded by Christ to pray for the priest in particular, but for every other person in the room. It is all too easy when we hear “our sacrifice”, combined with all the talk about the 'personal relationship' with God, that we could easily see it as a command to pray for our own personal sacrifice and the priests. Or for everyone's all at once, but no one in particular. This command says that we are supposed to pray for “the priest” and “everyone else in the room”.

That fits in well with the community sense of Christianity. The Jewish sense of faith wasn't just a single person and God, while it was a personal relationship, it was also "we Israel." They took it very seriously when the Torah indicated 'The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said."' I think we often forget that sense of community. That we should be praying for each others sins, as well as those who have gone on before us. How much more so this statement of 'mine and yours' brings us to a similar thought to the process of the Eucharist. After all we are not just offering a percentage of our money, some wine, and bread on the altar; we are being transported in time to the sacrifice of Christ. We are participating in the Heavenly liturgy, which St. John glimpsed in Heaven, when he saw the Lamb of God, standing before the altar as slain. Jesus is our Heavenly minister, offering His sacrifice for all time for each of us. How appropriate is it that we pray that our own meager offerings be joined with His eternal one, that each one of us both priest and laity may be found made worthy through His purification.

Remember, these are my own thoughts and my understanding is likely very flawed. There are many things I don't understand, and faith is a very long learning process. I am very excited though to have an opportunity to learn, to see these changes in action, and to be challenged to learn about a faith which I find fascinating. (If there are any errors, please feel free to email me and let me know.)

In Christ,
Brian

Advent, Deer, and King David

This morning as I began to get out of bed to make sure that the kids got off to school, my only intention seemed to be to go back to sleep. After a long night of sickness and distress, my aching and tired body had no desire for prayer or worship. All I could feel in my future was tucking myself back between the covers and drifting back into the luxurious warmth of oblivion. Reluctantly I rose from my bed and pulled out my prayer book and began to read a Psalm. Usually I sing a song, but this morning I skipped it (at first) and decided to rush through and get it over with, so I could crawl back between the covers.

Isn't it just like God to take our hearts and put them back where they belong? My heart was heavy with the burdens of my life, though those burdens are small and light I tend to think of them as the heaviest load, and yet the Father took this mornings Psalm and began to tighten those heart strings until I had to sing praise to Him. I began to read Psalm 42 and my heart was transported through time.

Like a deer that longs for springs of water,

  so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, the living God:

  when shall I come and stand before the face of God?1

As I began to read those words, my mind began to dwell on the Advent season. Here I am immersed in my daily life. Weary from the lack of rest, and sickness that has dwelt in my mind for the past few hours and yet my troubles are so far from where they could be. King David had been forced to flee from the kingdom by Saul and was unable to go back to the tent for worship. This young man, who was blessed by God was unable to go  and worship at all! Though he could worship in his heart, and rightly did; the Ark was in the tent and there with it the very presence of God.

Does our soul long for the living God? Does it thirst like the deer for water? Do we rise in the morning and fill our stomachs with drink and sustenance from a mortal source or the living well that will never leave us thirsty again? For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.2  How much do we think of that very fact? That one day we will see God face to face, even as we see each other? Does our soul thirst for the living God? Who died for us that we might live?

My tears are my food, by day and by night,.... 

I remember how I went up to your glorious dwelling-place

and into the house of God:

the memory melts my soul.3

We often take for granted that we are free to go to our churches almost any hour of the day. While the necessities of our world require many of them to be locked (not to keep people from going in, but to prevent theft and destruction, such a shame); most priests and pastors will gladly open them for worship and praise. Do we remember with longing and tears when we are unable to do so? Do we call out to God asking that He bring us back into fellowship when our hearts are troubled and our spirit weak? How much more did I prefer to the thought of going back to sleep this morning, than the intention of offering up praise and worship! My heart should have rather been on God and His house! The eternal union between man and God!

My Lord and my God, give me a heart that melts when I think of being in your presence! Help my soul to thirst for your Spirit as the deer thirsts for water! Help me to rise in the morning with only you on my mind and my lips! That I might sing praise to you, and worship you without expectation of return! Help me to call out to you as David did, in his distressing times, "Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still, my saviour and my God!"4 Help us to remember during this season of Advent, that You were born into this world, that You are coming again, and that You are also already here with us! Bring this mystery to the forefront of our minds, that we may live our entire lives in glorious expectation of the day we will see You face to face!

In Christ,

Brian

1. Psalm 42:1,2 

2. 1 Corinthians 13:12 

3. Psalm 42:3, 4 

4. Psalm 42:11 

Advent, Gabriel, and Mary!

During Advent one of the best examples we can find of how to respond to God, is the Virgin Mary. Many people avoid her altogether, and simply relegate her to a roll of just another human in history. It's a sad event for the Bible gives us an entirely different view of this woman of God. Today I want to talk about one of the first events that happened with her, and how it shows her to be very much a special person and a woman of God. I also want to talk about how this event shows us how we should respond to God's will and the news that Christ is coming again.



"And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.


Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee.


And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."

-Luke 1:26-38


First we see something very important about Mary. Mary was full of grace BEFORE she accepted God's task. This confused the young girl, who was then reassured by the angel that she had found grace with God. She didn't even know about the event that was going to transpire when the Angel declared her full of grace. This is important to note, Mary was different! She was special in God's eyes. She had already found grace with God before the Angel declared she would be the mother of His child.

Next, another very important lesson to learn, is how Mary responded to the information that she would become the theotokos. Many people have been chosen by God over the history of the earth. When God chose Abraham to go into Egypt, Abraham responded by hiding the nature of his relationship with his wife. He failed to trust God. When God chose Moses to deliver his people from Egypt? Moses complained about the fact he couldn't speak well, and over the years made many mistakes.. eventually leading to Moses dying in the desert, never to set foot in the promise land. He failed to trust in God. When God chose Jonah, Jonah ran and eventually had to be taught to follow God. He failed to trust and follow God.

When God chose Mary she said "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done according to they word". Mary, though confused, and likely with many more questions, immediately acquiesced to God's will. This is an example for all of us to follow. When God calls us, we may not believe the reasons, we may not understand how He will do things, we may even ask, "How is this possible?"; but we should say let it "be done to me according to they word."

This Advent let us remember to have this same attitude towards the coming of God! Let us humbly submit to His will, and seek out what He wants us to do. Instead of trying to live life by our own decisions, fearing others and 'hiding our wives' as we enter our own Egypt; let us instead trust in God's promises. How can you learn God's will for you? What can you do today to help yourself, and to show others that you are trusting in God?






In Christ,
Brian

Advent, Angels, and Praise!

I've been hearing a lot recently about how we shouldn't celebrate Christmas and many other Holidays. I think everyone has a right to choose for themselves. For me, I find them a time of reminder to bring us out of the stupor of living from day to day. To remind us of certain things that we might forget to do. Not because we shouldn't be doing it everyday, but because sometimes we just get in a rut and go through motions. Advent is just such a season.

It is to remind us of how we should be living every single day of our life. As we wait for the Parousai we should continue to live every day as if it were the season of Advent. Even during our 'ordinary' times, we are still just counting our days until something greater!


Luke 2:7, 13-15 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”




What do we learn from above about how we should respond to the news that Jesus is returning? How about the way we should respond when we think about the fact that Jesus is already here among us in very special ways? Well the same way the angels reacted to the fact that He had been born! We should have that same anticipation, joy, excitement, and enthusiasm that others had for the birth of Christ! The angels responded by praising God! Do we do that enough? We should be praising God for having condescended as a man, and as well for promising to return for us again! How great is the promise that Jesus will return to take us to a place that He has prepared for us? Do we give God praise for that daily? In fact, shouldn't our entire life be giving God praise for that? If this life is just a small portion of our entire life, after all what is a mere 100 year span (if we are lucky) compared to eternity? Glory to God!

Secondly, how did the shepherds respond to this good news? They went to seek Him! They didn't just listen and go home to sit and watch TV. Neither did they stay right where they were watching their sheep. In fact, it doesn't say that they took there sheep anywhere or took time to make sure they were safe, they could have brought them with them? They could have even left them in the field. We are not sure! We do know that immediately upon hearing this glorious news, they immediately began searching for Jesus! Do we do that? How many of us upon hearing the gospel go home to search Him out? Or do we just leave the church and go back to our ways. Instead we should be searching Him, in prayer, in study of His Word, in the worlds through others! We can find Him in the face of the homeless, in the widow and orphan, in the prison! Whatever we do for the least of these we do for Him!

Let us use Advent as a time to seek God! A reminder that we should be seeking Him always! Let us make small changes to our life, and develop habits of seeking Him! It is a good time to begin a bible study program, or to volunteer at a shelter, food bank, or even at a prison ministry. What are some other ways you can make a difference while seeking God?

In Christ,
Brian

Advent, Virgins, and Lamps!

In the ancient middle east there was a custom for several young chaste women to be set to watch for the Bridegroom to return to the festivities. The bridegroom had to go and negotiate with the father, prepare the dowry and then come back to the party. The women were to wait for him to light his way. If they didn't show up, or their lamps weren't lit it would bring disgrace not just on her, but she also wouldn't be allowed to participate in the festivities.

Mathew 25:1-13
 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

In the season of Advent we are reminded that we are invited to the wedding, not just as guests and witnesses, but as part of the party! We have a job to do. We are to be prepared to do our job. Just like the young virgins with their lamps, we are supposed to do the tasks set to us by the Gospel and by our Vocation, so that when the Bridegroom comes we will be waiting. Just like the virgins we do not know the hour when the place He is preparing for us will be finished, so we must be ready at any moment to jump up and welcome the Bridegroom. After all, we don't want to be late for the party; in this case he shows us the door will be shut and will not be opened.

So keep your faith strong. Grow in your relationship with Christ, and with your community of fellow believers. Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, body, mind and soul! Love your neighbor as yourself. Fill your lamps with love and faith, and 'get ready, be ready, stay ready!'  Remember, you cannot count on someone else's faith to fill your lamp. The wise virgins couldn't fill the lamp for the others. We have to work out our salvation, it is up to us to fill the lamp!

In Christ,

Brian

Advent, Mary, and Elizabeth

There is a popular Christian contemporary song by the group MercyMe that paints a very real, yet mysterious encounter. What will we do when we come into the presence of God? Will we stand in His presence? Will we even be able to speak?

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?

Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine, Copyright: ©1999 MercyMe

During the season of Advent we should be asking ourselves those very questions. As the body of Christ we are waiting for His return. We are waiting for the very presence of God to come back to get us! Do we think about that? What it will be like? How will we respond? One of the most amazing stories to me of the bible is the story of the Visitation, when Mary goes to see Elizabeth.

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,  where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Luke 1:39-45

The first part of this story shows us an amazing thing. Just being in the presence of Mary, whose chaste womb held the living Word of God, John the Baptist leaped for joy! Do we leap for joy when we come face to face with God? Do we even keep our eyes open to see Him and watch for Him to be in our life? Everyday we can come face to face with Jesus in our lives. When we worship we come face to face with God! Where two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be also! Do we leap for joy? Do we even keep our minds open to the possibility? How do we respond to God's presence inside of us?

This same story from the bible also gives us an example to follow there as well.

And Mary said:

"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me --
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers." Luke 1:46-55

Mary is such a brilliant example of how we should respond to God's calling in our lives, to God's presence in our hearts! Does she brag about how good she is? Or how Holy? She gives glory to God! Not only with her lips and her hands, but with her entire soul! With her spirit! With her mind! Then she says all generations will call her blessed, not because of what she has done, but what God has done for her! Do we respond to God with this humility? With this praise to His name? When we partake of communion with God do we realize the great things the Might One has done for us? The forgiveness that He has sent, the grace that He has given?

This Advent season let us begin to open our eyes to the reality that Christ becomes present to us. That yes He is coming again, remembering that He was born into this world to make it possible for us to even be saved. Yet we also must be aware that He is with us always, and that He presents Himself to us in very special ways. Let us bring our worship alive, when we come face to face with the Real Presence of God, let our hearts leap with joy! Let our souls glorify the Lord! Let our spirits rejoice in God our Savior!

In Christ,
Brian

Advent, Mary, and Martha

Advent is a time of preparation. We are preparing ourselves for the arrival of the Lord. Both in memory of His incarnation and as well for His future Parousai. We often forget though that He is also already among us in many special ways.

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

 In the preceding story we see two people responding to the presence of the Lord, but both in entirely different ways. One is busy preparing her home, making food, fretting over all the small physical details. She is anxious and worried, concerned that everything is not perfect. I think the Master as a man likely appreciated those details as well. In fact, he probably enjoyed the clean home, the comfortable place to rest, the smell of the food cooking in the back, and being fussed over as someone important. (We all seem to enjoy that as humans.)

 He reminds us though that Mary has chosen the better of the two, the path of drawing closer to Jesus. She sits at His feet and listens to His words. By reminding Martha of this simple truth, Jesus isn't berating her for what she is doing; rather He is inviting her to do the 'only one' thing that does matter, drawing closer to Him.

What does this have to do with Advent? Advent is a reminder that while Christ is coming again, He is also already here among us. Its an offer to put down the hustle and bustle of life, and instead sit in peace at the feet of Jesus. All too often we turn this season into a time of much anxiety, even competition. Who has the biggest light display? Who can buy the most presents? Who can pepper spray their way to the biggest sale prices?

 Jesus reminds us that the most important part of preparing for His presence is drawing closer to Him and hearing His words. Take time this Advent to do just that. Spend time with God. In study. In prayer. In comfort. Giving gifts and gathering together with your family is indeed good and beautiful, but Christmas is not about that. It is instead a season to remember that "few things are needed--or indeed only One."

 In Christ,

Brian

Advent: Abraham and Isaac

So for my first blog post in Advent, I'd like to talk about Abraham and Isaac. Probably not what one would expect. After all what does this story have to do with the coming of Christ? Nothing. And everything!

  Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

 The first lesson we learn from this story is that Abraham immediately responded to God's call! This is something many of us still need to work on. When God calls us in our daily lives often we think, if He would just call me again; then I'd know it was really Him. Remember the story about the man who kept praying for deliverance form the flood, and every time someone would show up with a boat or a helicopter he'd say, "My God will save me!" Then after he died, he demanded from God, "Why didn't you save me?" God said, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter! As we go through Advent we need to learn to listen to God's voice! To prepare ourselves for His will, that we may be found ready for the Master's call!

Now imagine the amount of courage it would take for Abraham to walk up the mountain after being told to sacrifice his only son. Remember, Abraham had waited for years for this child! He had been promised by God that he would have a son, and here God wants that very son to be sacrificed. We often complain about having to cut back on supplies, or about having to get rid of this or that; or even complain because we have to go to Church an extra day this week, etc. Here Abraham is told to give up something that none of us can imagine, and he climbs the mountain with his son to do so!

 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 

Here again from this story we learn a valuable lesson. Not only did Abraham trust God, but Isaac trusted Abraham! Think about how our kids would react if we were acting this way. If we were telling our kids we were going camping, and not taking a tent, that God would provide the tent! They'd think we were crazy! Yet it doesn't say that Isaac complained, or hesitated or went to play his X-box. Instead, "the two of them went together."

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

Now think about this again! Isaac was probably a teenager at this point. We don't know his exact age, but he isn't traveling with his mother on a three day journey AND he seems to be asking very intelligent questions. Most think he would have been between 16 and 30. Abraham was over 100! Yet there is no recording of Isaac struggling. He still trusted his dad! (Just as we should be trusting our Father!) How many of us would trust someone to bind us, put us on the altar of God and raise a knife over our head! Even more so, imagine what it must be like for Abraham! This father is standing there trusting that God will do something! In fact, he even told his son that God would provide the lamb for the burnt offering! He clearly thought God was going to perform a miracle! He trusted in God to do so, no matter how crazy what God had asked him to do was!


  But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”  Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.  So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”  The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time  and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies,  and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

What does all of this have to do with Advent? Everything! Let me quote part of the story again. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” In English that seems to say one thing, but it could also be read another way in Hebrew. It could even be rendered in English as "God will provide Himself, the lamb, for the burnt offering my son." Think about that for a moment! In the very first book of the bible God is already telling us about the Lamb, about Christ!  What do we learn from this story? We learn about the attitude that we should have everyday of our lives.

First we should be trusting God! Enough to do whatever He asks, when He asks! Not waiting or complaining, but going out of our comfort zone and doing what He has called us to do! Go over to the crying mother and comfort her, don't wait uncomfortably until He tells you again. Go pray for the man who is in rags on the corner! Do what God calls you to do!

Secondly, we see the attitude of anticipation we should have. Can you imagine how much Abraham wanted to see that ram in the thicket? How about Isaac? How much were they looking forward to God providing that lamb? We should have that same sense of anticipation throughout our lives. We are waiting for the Lamb! He is coming back! Just like Isaac on that altar, we should be looking around, anxiously! Knowing that God is going to provide! Trusting enough to put our lives at risk!

So let us look into the thicket! Let our eyes search the skies, the ground, and the faces of every man, woman and child we meet! Looking for God! With great anticipation and hope! God promised to provide the Lamb, Himself! He has also promised to return! Let us hold firm to those promises!

In Christ,
Brian

* This story takes on even more meaning when we look for similarities to the passion. The thicket of thorns capturing the ram - the crown of thorns. The fact that the mountain that this occurred on WAS the mount of Olives. The ram was placed on the wood, Christ was sacrificed on wood. The list goes on and on. 

First Day of Advent

I am going to attempt to write a blog each day during the season of Advent. All to often we forget how we are supposed to live each day of the year, and Advent is a time to remind us to get out of the rut and watch for God! So first I just wanted to share this post with you about what Advent is about. I don't remember ever celebrating Advent while growing up, so a lot of this is new information that has been shared with me from my wonderful church family, and friends.

 Today is the first day of Advent! Such a wonderful time of year leading up to the Christmas season. For the first day of Advent I just wanted to give a general idea of what the season is about. Some of us celebrate, some of us don't. But for those who do, Advent is a time of renewal, a time of reminders. First off it is a reminder that we are approaching the season in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are reminded of the nativity story and the humble beginnings of Him. Every story adds a bit more detail, form the shepherds in the field, to the wise men; we can learn a lot about the anticipation of the birth of the Messiah. Which brings us to our second reminder.

 Secondly, it is a reminder that we are awaiting the Parousai (second coming of Christ). Just like the prophets who spoke over the unborn child, John jumping in the womb, and the entire nation of Israel, we should be anticipating the coming of Christ. Just as they waited with anticipation and all of creation held it's breath for the birthing hour of our God, so too should we be tingling with anticipation that He is coming. We should be doing this year round! But this season reminds us to do it. All to often we get complacent with life, letting the difficulties and mundane experiences get us into a 'rut'. This season reminds us to get out of that rut and be watchful!

 Thirdly it's a reminder that we can encounter Jesus in every person we meet. Whatever we have done for the least of these, we are doing for Him. We should be 'watching' for Him every single hour, of every single day, in every single person. We should be treating everyone with love and respect, and Advent reminds us of that.

 Happy Advent Season!

 In Christ, Brian

I have decided to rename my blog "Ordinary Time" in honor of Father Ev Hemann. His blog on Ordinary Time has reminded me that even ordinary time, should be extraordinary. May we all remember that lesson that he so eloquently wrote about in his blog, "Ordinary Time". In Christ, Brian

Veganism, from a Catholic perspective

During some study of the Catholic faith earlier today, I was going over something we had discussed a few days ago in our study group. I just wanted to share my reasoning behind being a vegan, and to allow those who are Catholic to attempt to see it from my perspective and using the Catechism to hopefully at least allow them to see that their vegan brothers and sisters are indeed Catholic as well. (I don't know how many times I've been confronted specifically with 'Isn't it a slap in the face of God to not eat meat?' 'God put animals here for us to eat!' etc.)

This is something that I am currently flushing out in my mind, so it may not be a complete defense but one that I think should be used.

The Catechism indicates that every act consists of three moral elements:
objective act (what we do)
subjective goal (intention, why we do it)
concrete situations or cicrumstances (when, where, how, with whom, etc)
Objective Act

The act itself must be an act of good. We cannot do something evil in order to bring good about, as much as we want to. Killing someone to prevent them from killing animals for instance. Kidnapping someone and locking them in your basement to keep them from stealing etc. We must do good things to bring about good, and in order for it to be a truly good act.

Subjective Goal

Why are we doing it? If I am giving a homeless man money not because I want him to have food but in order to get him to leave so he doesn't hurt my business, then it's an act of evil. My heart is hardened and the act itself is not out of mercy and love, but out of hate. Hate is a word that describes an absence of love, and we as Christians are 'known for our love.' That is our defining characteristics and one of the many elements necessary in the fruit that we produce.

Concrete Situation

Where are we? What is going on? For instance, shoving someone might indeed be a bad act. But there is a difference in shoving someone just standing in a room, or shoving someone who is standing before a bus. Shoving becomes part of the concrete situation when evaluating morality, and becomes an act of Good because of where you are, what is going on, is someone in danger etc. Situation really changes the reality of your actions.

Now, we also know that: Matt 15:11 - What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'"

Math 15:18 - But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'

We see that Jesus very clearly told us that the reason behind our actions, that's what makes us unclean. So we cannot defend veganism based on "it makes you unclean." BUT we can defend veganism on the status of a persons heart necessary to eat meat. If their heart is in the wrong place, then it does become a sin.

What do I mean by this? First let's look at the objective act, what are we doing? We are eating. Eating in and of itself is not an evil, we need to eat to feed our bodies. So objectively, eating to feed your body is not a morally reprehesnable act. We cannot defend veganism on the objective act itself.

How about from the perspective of a subjective goal? Why are we eating? We are eating to nourish our bodies and keep us healthy. We know from scientific data that meat is not necessary for human health, as a matter of fact meat proteins are linked to cancer promotion. Consumption of meat is directly proportionate to the increase in heart disease, renal failure, strokes, diabetes and even obesity. So we are not eating meat for health. We are not eating meat because it's good for us. We could say we are eating meat for the nutrition? However, when analyzed the human diet does not need animal protein at all for nutrition. We thrive off plant based protein but have trouble breaking down animal based proteins. We also do not need the extra cholesterol, fatty acidic acids, or even in the case of body builders the protein. All of the protein we need can be gotten directly from fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. We also hear the argument that we eat meat for B12. However, B12 doesn't come from meat directly but from bacteria. The bacteria already present in the soil (though often destroyed by our cleaning processes and chemical treatment of the soil) is the actual source of B12 production. We can also get B12 from different versions of blue green algae, so we cannot say we 'need' meat for B12. So we cannot say we eat meat for nutrition.

Why then do we eat meat? Personal pleasure. We eat meat for the taste. The texture and taste are the top reason for consumption of meat, and why many say 'I just love my meat', or "I couldn't give it up, it tastes too good.' Our subjective goal then becomes personal pleasure.

Now, personal pleasure is of itself not a bad thing. I truly believe God wants us to have personal pleasure, but for the right reasons. This goes back to where is your heart in order to get that person pleasure. First, let's go over the final component of the decision to eat meat.

What is our concrete situation? First we have to look at our society. We are not hunters, but consumers. It is not necessary for us to hunt for animals in order to feed our families. We are also not starving. I do not think it's a sin to consume an animal (though thanks must be truly given in my eyes), when your family is starving and you have no other food available. We live in a land of plenty where massive amount of grains are avialble, fresh fruit, and fresh vegetables in almost every market.

Next, a very important part of our concrete situation is, what does meat production do to our world, our bodies, our families, and the animals themselves. We live in a world where the actual reality of raising animals has become a very 'factory' like situation. These are called CAFOs, or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. The animals are kept in as small an area as possible, fed the most concentrated feed possible, and gotten to 'market' weight as fast as possible. Using any means necessary including genetic manipulation, and force feeding.

Next, CAFO's produce the most pollution of anything in the world at present. Giving up just 10% of meat from a SAD (standard american diet) will reduce a persons carbon footprint as much as selling a SUV and getting a hybrid car. We are literally destroying our world, our forests, jungles (80% of all the destruction of the Amazon rain forest is for cattle land), and our bodies. We are polluting our water ways, our atmosphere, and feeding our children meat filled with antibotics, super bacteria, and heart clogging cholesterol.

The big factor for me is 'consequences'. In order to eat meat as an educated individual we must decide specifically, "My taste and personal pleasure is more important to me than the environment, the health of my own body, the health of those I feed meat to, and the life of an animal." Now, with that being said. Can anyone who is educated (knows that animals suffer, knows that raising animals creates pollution, knows that animals are being mistreated and killed, knows that they are destroying health in their body and creating disease, and knows that they can feed themselves and their families without meat and still be perfectly healthy) be able to say with a clear conscience, that eating meat is not a sin?

(TLDR)A short recap -
Objective act - Eating is not a sin. Eating meat out of ignorance in and of itself is not a sin either.
Subjective Goal - Personal pleasure. In and of itself also not a sin. God wants us to be happy, and enjoy things but only for the right reasons.
Concrete Situation - Creates pollution, destroys health, animals are killed and mistreated

Can we truly defend meat eating as a Catholic/Christian person and have our hearts in the right place? Is not eating meat after being informed and educated, in and of itself putting our own personal pleasure AHEAD of all other concerns, including the health of our children, our world, and the animals themselves.

"The ends do not justify the means." (see CCC nos 1749-1761)