The Conversation With God

Have you ever felt abandoned by the people you love?  Think back to a time when you had a dire need for love and understanding.  Perhaps it was a time when a friend became angry and belittled you because of something you did.  Or maybe it was a time when a family member falsely accused you of some serious transgression and yelled and screamed at you.  Or maybe it was a serious argument over some political issue that could not be immediately resolved.  Or perhaps you really did do something seriously wrong and it weighed heavily on your psyche.  Yes, you felt abandoned and alone.  What do you do?

One solution would be to seek consolation with a family member who always seems to understand, or a friend who had a knack for comforting you – someone you could trust.  Perhaps it was a counselor, or a therapist.  But what if this person was not immediately available and you needed help NOW?

Well, I’ve been in this position many times in my life.  I’m a sensitive guy who can get to feeling unloved seemingly at the drop of a hat.  My solution?  Rush to a place where I can have a conversation with God.  I’ve been known to run to the nearest Catholic church or chapel where I can kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and lay it all out there for God to see and have Him say to me “don’t worry, I love you and will never abandon you.”

Recently I was reminded of this when I heard this passage from Scripture that sounded like God was speaking to me:  “I will be your God and you will be my people.”  I googled this quote this morning and discovered that there are forty-three different Scripture passages that express some form of this sentiment, both in the Old Testament and the New. 

Think about this and what a comfort in can be.  The Supreme Being who created all things, who keeps this universe humming, who performs His miracles every second of every day on your behalf – He is there for you, because you are among his people and He is your God.  What a simple, but hope-filled expression of His love.  It gives me hope in these times of trial.  May God bless you and may He keep you in the palm of his hand through all eternity.  Amen!

A Major Announcement

March 25 is exactly nine months before Christmas.  And so, on March 25, this coming Monday, we celebrate the day that Mary became pregnant with Jesus, a feast in the Catholic Church known as the “Annunciation.”  The word “annunciation” is the noun form for the verb to “announce.”  You would think that this noun form might be “announcement” rather than “annunciation.”  But, I digress.  You also might ask the question, “Was something ‘announced’ on that day, or what?”  The answer is yes, it is the day we celebrate the fact that the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and “announced” to her that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”  See Luke 1:35.  The announcement was that she was to become the Mother of God.  A major announcement!

Some people object to the Catholic Church giving her the title “Mother of God.”  They say she is the mother of Jesus, yes, but not the Mother of God, since God is eternal, no beginning and no end.  They say that she did not become pregnant with God or give birth to God.  They say that no one can be called God’s mother.  I think confusion occurs because of the doctrine of the “Blessed Trinity.  The Blessed Trinity refers to the idea that there are three persons in the one God.  It is one of the great mysteries of our faith.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all three, are mentioned many times in the New Testament.  All three are God, and there is just one God.  The three are the three persons in the one God.  St. Patrick explained it by holding up a shamrock and pointing to three leaves on one stem.  But it is still a great mystery.

Since the Son, Jesus, is God, and since Mary conceived and gave birth to Jesus, one of her many titles should therefore indeed be the “Mother of God.”

The photograph accompanying this post is of the Annunciation painting found in the Basilica of the Holy Rosary in Lourdes, France.  The Annunciation is the first joyful mystery of the rosary, a wonderful point for reflection for us Catholics as we pray using this great sacramental, the rosary.  Happy Annunciation Day everyone!

Agony and Ecstasy

Today I’m thinking  about Our Lord’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane following the Last Supper and before His arrest by the Jewish and Roman authorities.  The gospels say that He goes for a walk with His apostles Peter, James, and John.  He stops, asks the three of them to wait while He walks ahead “a stone’s throw” and prays, saying:  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”  (Luke 22:42).  He knew what was about to happen to Him and He asked His Father to intervene.  Luke says, “He was in such agony and He prayed so fervently that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  (Luke 22:44).

Matthew’s gospel records that He returned to the three apostles three times and found them sleeping each time.  Among other things, He says, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  (Matt 26:41).  Shortly after, He was arrested, flogged, crowned with thorns and crucified.

What are we to make of the details and of Jesus’ behavior in this scene?  I remember a physician turned priest once told me that it is indeed possible, when a person is under extreme duress, for blood to squeeze through the wall of a vessel and intermingle with sweat.  That presumably explains the drops of blood.  But why ask God the Father to “take this cup away?”  Isn’t He supposed to suffer and die so that mankind can be saved from their sins?  Well, yes to the second question.

I think what we must remember is that Jesus has two natures … a human nature and a divine nature.  Some refer to Him as the “God-man.”   So because Jesus has a human nature, He must experience human pain and emotion.  He knew what was ahead of Him … a painful and relentless flogging at the hands of His enemies and, once greatly weakened from the loss of blood and a painful scarring on his torso, a pushing and shoving way of the cross, the cross on his shoulders, to the hill of Calvary, and then the piercing and shooting pain from nails through his hands and feet that held him on the cross until, finally, death.  His human nature simply could not endure it, could not handle it.  Yes, Father, take this cup away from me, please, please, please.

As death overtook Him, the chains of sin were lifted from my body and your body.  Once that act was completed, His divine nature took over … a glorious Resurrection.

Friends, please don’t let the great miracles associated with the life, death and Resurrection of Christ pass you by on this Earth.  He suffered and died for me.  He suffered and died for you.  To use modern language, please love Him “to the moon and back” for this terrific, soul-saving gift from our God.  I’m fully aware, of course, that indeed, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” and that you likely will fall asleep and commit sin, for I have the same human nature as you!  But I also know that your love for God will produce eternal ecstasy in heaven for all of us if we just “repent and believe in the Gospel.”  I pray that your Lenten journey continues to be grace-filled and holy.  Amen!

The Words of Lent

The season of Lent began yesterday.  So today I’m having my “preparation for Easter” thoughts.  Words like repentance, confession, forgiveness, absolution, contrition and penance come to mind.  These are important words because they lead to a clean heart and a clean soul with which to celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and receive the Eucharist at the Easter Mass. 

In the Catholic Church, we have a prayer that sums it up.  It is called the Act of Contrition.  I’m writing it down below in a way that I hope will indicate the awesomeness of each little phrase.  Catholics will recognize it as the prayer that a penitent sinner recites as our final statement after confessing his/her sins to a priest in the confessional.

Oh, My God … I am heartily sorry for having offended thee ... and I detest all my sins … because I dread the loss of heaven … and the pain of hell, ...  but most of all because they offend thee, my God … who are all good … and deserving of all my love.  I firmly resolve, with of help of thy grace … to confess my sins … do penance … and amend my life.  Amen.

Tears often come to my eyes while reciting this prayer in a slow, deliberate manner in the confessional each time I receive the sacrament.  How awesome and comforting it is to know that we have a compassionate, merciful, and loving God standing at the ready to forgive even our most serious of sins. 

I wish all my readers the holiest and most blessed Lent ever.  Amen!