Tag: Jesus

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Worshiper or follower?

This past week I had dinner with my friend, Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM. We’re both reading a book by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM entitled Naked Now. As we chatted over dinner at the Linger Longer Cafe in downtown Allegany, New York Kevin mentioned that one of the points from that book was whether you were a follower of Jesus or a worshiper of Jesus. I think it’s an important distinction and actually very radical too in the best sense of that word.

In the past eight or nine years I’ve had many discussions with pro-war folks who worship Jesus and are very devout in that worship. They justify their support of military intervention with the just war theory of St. Augustine and even the Vatican itself says that war is justified under certain circumstances. I’ve found that troubling and though I’m not a Quaker or a Buddhist I’m drawn to try to their practice because it seems more in line with following Jesus. During our conversation Kevin made a good point and that is, “did Jesus ask us to follow him or to worship him.” I think there is an interesting distinction here and one that will keep me thinking for a while. God blesses the warriors and the peacemakers too. Peace.

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Radical Mercy and Forgiveness

Today a friend called to tell that another friend had died and suddenly at that. The fellow who died was a very good friend and I’ll miss him a lot. He was a good friend. We’d spent quite a bit of time together this winter. We’re both fathers and Navy veterans and both drove PT Cruisers. I hadn’t seen Pat in about a month and only the other day I thought of sending him a text message.  Earlier this winter while we were having a lengthy discussion I told him that I loved him and I did. I’m glad I was able to say that because I’ve often found it difficult to come right out and say that to another who is not in my own family.  Today, though I was filled with sadness over Pat’s passing I was glad that those words had passed between us. Life is short, shorter than we imagine sometimes.

All of this got me to thinking about the Gospel of Jesus. I read a couple of different places that Christian churches are in decline and that we’re in a post-Christian era. I’m not always sure what these writers mean when they write words like that, but for me there is a huge difference for what passes as Christianity most places and what was written in the Gospels.  Many Christian churches have become so wrapped up in politics that they are no longer prophetic, but pathetic instead.  I believe the Gospels were mainly about radical mercy and forgiveness.  I don’t even think Jesus came to found a church, he came in fulfillment of the scriptures. To me all of that is secondary to the message and that message is about forgiveness that knows no bounds and mercy beyond compare.  I came across an article written by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM that summarizes much of what I think.

You don’t know mercy until you’ve really needed it.  As Thomas Merton once said—and I’ve quoted it often—“Mercy within mercy, within mercy.”  It’s as if we collapse into deeper nets of acceptance, deeper nets of being enclosed and finally find we’re in a net we can’t fall out of.  We are captured by grace.  Only after much mistrust and testing do we accept that we are accepted.

–Richard Rohr, OFM

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I was hungry

This is my favorite quote in all of scripture and has been for longer than I can remember. President Obama’s call to service and to give up childish things encourages me.

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.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Matthew 25:35-40.

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Lamb of God

Today I took some time apart, an afternoon away from it all and spent quiet time in the sanctuary of Abbey of the Genesee. It had been over a month since my last visit and I was thirsty to hear the stillness of the Abbey chapel. This past week I started reading a new book that I picked up at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center. It’s Richard Rohr’s latest, “Things Hidden, Scripture as Spirituality.” It’s been awhile since I’ve read any book. Richard’s books have all been great reads. Tonight following my return I mowed the lawn, drove to the Olean Airport, took a swim and then ate a Monk’s Brownie. While eating the brownie I decided to read the RSS feed from Jim Wallis’ “God’s Politics,” a blog that I’ve been looking at lately. One of the stories led me to a story about Jesus for President and this litany.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Akc_7O9A9-I]

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His voice

Everyone that is of the truth hears my voice.–John 18:37

What is the truth? I don’t hear the voice, but I sense it in the silence of my prayers and in the silence of my life. Martin Luther King heard his voice. All the great prophets have heard that voice and it has moved them to speak. From silence they have been moved to act and speak. I think Mahatma Gandhi must have heard that voice too.

I think Jeremiah Wright heard that voice too. Pastor Wright spoke prophetically about an America that the status quo doesn’t want to see or maybe they can’t see. The pundits and the politicians have reduced life to a sound bite. Mysticism is seeing with the eyes closed. In the 81st chapter of the Tao te Ching, Lao Tzu writes:

Sincere words do not sound nice,
Nice-sounding words are not sincere.
Good men don’t argue,
Argumentative men are not good.
The wise are not learned,
The learned are not wise.

Wisdom does not inspire the accumulation of goods;
Living for others makes for a full life.
The more you give away, the richer you are.

The Tao of heaven is to benefit, not to harm.
The Tao of wisdom is to do your thing, but not to compete.

It seems to me that those who criticize Jeremiah Wright do so because of blindness. They are not at fault. They cannot see nor can they hear.

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St. Martin

Today marked the 40th anniversary of assassination of one American who was truly blessed. Martin Luther King, should be elevated to sainthood. His life and his writings give testimony to his powerful spirit. I was fifteen years old and whenever I loved him then. My father whom I loved, was a bigot and he hated Dr. King. At one time in my life I was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Albany, Ga. where Dr. King was once jailed. I remember listening to his famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and being deeply moved. Martin Luther King was a prophet in every sense of the word. He really lived the Jesus message and like Mahatma Gandhi used Christian principles of non-violence and non-cooperation with evil to bring this nation to its knees.

Like Christ and later Gandhi, he was killed by powerful forces that feared him. The FBI infiltrated the Civil Rights movement because J. Edgar Hoover feared that Dr. King was a Communist sympathizer. That proved to be false, but the FBI used information it gained in its surveillance in an attempt to discredit Martin. He was 39 when he was murdered April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN. God bless Dr. King and his memory.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8]

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A Moment of Peace

As I read the news reports coming out of Iraq this morning I began to wonder what if we hadn’t invaded Iraq and we’d have saved all the good will we used to enjoy in the world. What if we’d spent the money we’ve squandered in Iraq on guns, bombs, and other weapons on education for Iraqis, Iranians, Saudis and others. What if we had those 4,000 men and women back who got killed? What if we had 30,000 others who got horribly maimed? What if we didn’t have 1,000,000 dead Iraqis and millions more displaced by the carnage? What if we really allowed the United Nations to work? What if we put all our weapons in boxes and buried them? What if we turned our seven-hundred-forty or so military bases world wide into care centers for the poor and sick? What if we turned our fleets into hospital ships and care centers for the world’s poor? Can you imagine a different outcome? Can you imagine an end to terrorism?

What if the neo-conservative militarists had been flower children? What if Bush, Cheney and the rest had been pacifists instead of militarists? What if they really believed Christ and really practiced what he lived and taught? Can you imagine a different outcome in Basra and Baghdad? It would be a different world.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCwhoJ4G1WY]

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The light of the world

Today was a beautiful, sunny day as I drove toward Mt. Irenaeus. Today’s Gospel was about the young man born blind who regains his sight as a result of a miracle that Jesus performs. Blindness is always assumed to be a physical defect and nowadays no one even assumes that the victim got his disease through his sin or the sin of a parent. In the time of Jesus such was not the case. We’ve made some progress since then. We understand that blindness is caused my many conditions, but that sin is not one of them.

Continue reading “The light of the world”

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Third Jesus

A couple of days ago I spied a title at Changing Hands bookstore that invited me to pick it up. On the bookshelf was a book written by Deepak Chopra. It’s title, “The Third Jesus,” really captivated me. I read a few paragraphs and put it down. Yesterday, while visiting the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale I saw the book again. This time it was in the center’s bookstore. After I got back to my sisters home, I mentioned to my hosts that wanted to return to Changing Hands and get the book.   Little did I know that later in the afternoon, my Mom would drive over to the store and pick it up for me. Continue reading “Third Jesus”

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Jesus Wine of Peace

Today was very cold. I think it was about 7 degrees fahrenheit this morning as I ventured up to Mt. Irenaeus for Mass. The roads up to the mountain were snow covered but passable. My journey was very peaceful. There is something very contemplative in winter. A stillness that occurs when the earth and most everything on it is frozen. The chapel was full this morning. Mostly St. Bonaventure University students. They were Students for the Mountain, which is a ministry group organized by the Franciscan Friars who live at Mt. Irenaeus and minister on campus at St. Bonaventure. There were some familiar faces among the students there. Chris a senior at Bona and Monica a sophomore are old friends. There were new faces there too. Names I don’t recall. Fr. Dan Riley’s homily invited lots of comments. The mood today was both animated and prayerful. The communion hymn today was “Jesus Wine of Peace,” by David Haas. I love it’s lyrics and the melody. Jesus is truly the wine of peace and today these lyrics moved me deeply.

Jesus wine of Peace, wine of love, may we drink of you, may we taste your presence, your promise, our future. Drink well and live.