Thursday, June 28, 2018

It Frightens Me!



I recently spent the equivalent of six days in Yellowstone National Park, that huge nature paradise in northwestern Wyoming.  It was a photographer’s dream.  But rather than tell you the story of the experience itself, I want to tell you about what happened on the day we left.  We chose to exit the park through the northeast entrance.  The map showed that it would take us through an additional bit of Wyoming and over the state line into Montana.  It seemed pretty straightforward.  The route is called the Beartooth Highway and would take us over a mountain pass on the way.

As we left the park, it was raining and the temperature was 39oF.  We began winding our way upward and the temperature changed to 38.  Still raining, it changed to 37.  Then 36, 35, 34.  It began to snow.  We began to worry.  The temperature dropped to 33.  Then to 32.  Remember, this was the middle of June.  We found ourselves engulfed in a full-blown blizzard when we were stopped by a snowplow driver.  There was one car ahead of us.  The snowplow driver told us we would wait because there were four other cars on their way up behind us.  When they arrived, we began our trek up to the pass and, hopefully, beyond.  The snowplow, with its blade fully engaged, was our savior.  It took us up and over the pass, at times with a 12-foot wall of snow on both sides and nearly zero visibility.  We finally came to a safe spot on the other side of the pass where the gate to the pass was closed, indicating that the highway was closed to any further travel.  We waved a thank you to the snowplow driver.  But this is not the end of the story!

The next day we encountered serious rain in North and South Dakota.  Talk about poor visibility!  We had our wipers on the high speed and even stopped a couple of times to wait for the storm to pass.  At one point, a rainbow appeared ahead of us on the interstate.  It was the most stunning, intense rainbow I had ever seen!  A complete rainbow, left to right, with the two ends perfectly visible in the fields on either side.  A once-in-a-lifetime sight, believe me!  I wanted to take a picture, but the white knuckles gripping the steering wheel would not allow it.  It reminded me vividly of the Scripture verse in the book of Genesis:  “I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”  (Gen 10:13).  I took it as a sign that we would return home safely, which we did.

That experience, along with the encounters with the bears, wolves, and moose (and the stories we’d heard and read about) in Yellowstone were dramatic reminders of our vulnerabilities on this earth. It frightens me.  Thinking about it today, I wonder how prepared I am for death and the judgement by almighty God.  Some say all I need is faith in Him.  I’m not so sure.  I think of another Scripture passage:  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.  How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.  And those who find it are few.”  (Mat 7:13-14).  Not everyone who believes will be saved. 

And St. Paul chimes in:  “Therefore, we aspire to please Him, whether we are at home or away.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.”  (2 Cor 9-10).  So it is clear that faith alone is not enough!  We must please God and are judged on how we act, whether good of evil.  My prayer for today:  Help me Lord to act on my faith, to seek forgiveness of my wrongdoings, and to strive to please you at all times.  Amen!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

What is Truth?



Do you feel any frustration these days about what is true and what is not?  If so, I share in it.  First we have the dialogue that occurs daily between liberals and conservatives regarding the issues of the day.  For example, are the children of migrants coming into the United States from Mexico being treated inhumanely, or is it like a “summer camp”?  Liberals believe the detention is an outrage while conservatives say that our laws require it, and that these laws were passed by liberals back in 1997.  Fact checkers claim that their efforts track down the real truth.  But can we trust them?  What is truth?

There is the ongoing debate concerning faith and science.  Those on the science side of the debate say that science has proven key points of religious faith to be simply false and that we can only believe what science has proven to be true.  Those on the faith side of the debate say that the complexity of creation proves the existence of a deity and that, over time, ongoing scientific research has shown many scientific “facts” to actually be false, proving that the public should keep an open mind.  What is truth?

There is also the continuing debate concerning which Cristian faith is the true Christian faith.  Catholics claim that they have the fullness of the truth, in that Christ Himself founded the Catholic Church and it is the only faith that is true to everything God has revealed through Christ.  Protestants, believers in such doctrines as Sola Fide (Faith Alone) and Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), claim that the Church that Christ founded got off track around the third or fourth century and that the Reformation finally got it right.  Even within these Christian faiths there are disagreements, i.e., conservative and liberal factions.  What is truth? 

Interestingly enough, “What is truth?” is a passage from the Sacred Scripture.  See John 19:38.  It was Pilate whose frustration was showing through when he was trying to decide whether Jesus should be turned over to the crowd to be crucified.  Pilate questioned Jesus and found his responses to be unworthy of the death sentence.  He claimed to be a king, and that that is why he was born, why he came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears his voice.  (John 19:37).  Hearing this, Pilate, frustrated, uttered the famous question.

What should our response be to all this frustration?  Prayer, I think.  Within the Lord’s prayer, prayed by both Protestants and Catholics alike, liberals and conservatives alike, we pray that God’s will be done:  “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”  Let us commit to praying the Lord’s Prayer with this intention in mind; that the frustrations we experience in our current lives on Earth will melt away and that God’s will would ultimately be done in all modern day conflicts.  Amen!

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Thank you, Lord!


Today is my 43rd wedding anniversary!  It was a classic story of Iowa farm boy meets California city girl.  A perfect match!   You will excuse me if I take the day off blogging!  I will return next week.  Lord, thank you so much for blessing my marriage for so many years.  Amen.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Pope Francis - A Man of His Word



Earlier this week, the movie “Pope Francis – A Man of His Word” opened in theaters.  I went to see it.  Twice!  I saw the movie as an opportunity to get my thoughts going so that I would have something to say about it in this blog today.  So, here goes.

One word that describes the man well is “pastoral.”  The movie shows many clips of him up close, speaking directly to us through the camera.  He as an engaging smile and caring facial expressions.  He definitely is someone you would want to talk to if you are stressed.  He exudes wisdom, confidence, and compassion – three qualities that everyone would want their spiritual director to have.  

He has been reported to have rather surprising views on modern societal issues, such as concerns about the environment, discrimination against marginalized groups, divorce and re-marriage, and even the existence of hell.  If you are like me, you wonder if what has been reported is really true, or if media reports have been embellished (or genuinely misunderstood) by the overzealous reporters.  I get the sense from the movie that what should be guiding our attitudes is love.  He says that God’s love is universal.  God loves atheists, prisoners, and immigrants just as much as He loves faithful Catholics, priests and nuns.  He tells us that the first declared saint was a prisoner – the Good Thief (known as St. Dismas) on Calvary (See Luke 23:39-43).  I took the message to be that sinners should be loved because they are just one step away from salvation, and that one step is forgiveness. 

The movie has many “flashbacks” to the life of St. Francis of Assisi, from whom the Pope chose his name.  One particular poignant scene is when the Lord speaks to St. Francis and asks him to rebuild his church.  At first, Francis misunderstood, thinking that He meant to rebuild the little chapel in which he was praying.  It soon became clear, however, that God meant to rebuild the Church Jesus had founded.  Francis response was to step into the shoes of the poor, the hungry, and the marginalized.  The point in this movie is, I think, that Pope Francis, in taking the name of St. Francis, wants to transform the Church into a church of compassion and forgiveness.

Whether this means upsetting the apple cart a little bit remains to be seen.  Christ told us that He “will be with you to the end of the age.”  (Matt 28:20).  He also said:  “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”  (John 14:26).  Whatever happens with the papacy of Francis, we can be sure of one thing.  Christ will be with us always and the Holy Spirit will remind us of all that we were told by Christ. 

My prayer for today is for the Church.  Lord, help us to see clearly the path we must choose regarding the issues that surface in our modern world, and especially give the Holy Father a heavy dose of your grace so that we may know and fully understand all that you have told us.  Amen.