Buy This CD! My Beloved Son by Fr. Robert Barron

I don't believe there is a better equipped teacher around today who can deliver the Catholic faith than Fr. Robert Barron. He's proving one project at a time that it IS possible to teach the faith in a succinct, accessible manner without leaving anything out or watering it down. My Beloved Son: Meditations for Lent is yet another example of this. This collection of Fr. Barron's Lenten sermons is the best purchase I've made this Lent.

Here's the playlist:

1. The True and False Messiah (Luke 4:1-12): The temptation of Jesus in the Desert
2. Transfigured Prayer (Mark 9:2-8): The Transfiguration
3. The Thirst for God (John 4:4-41): The Woman at the Well
4. The Father and the Sons (Luke 15:11-32): The Prodigal Son
5. Planting the Law Within: Jeremiah (31:31) The Promise of a New Covenant

I thought I knew each of these readings from Scripture well. After listening to this, I realize that I have MUCH to learn.

Jesus-The Best Bible Teacher I Ever Had

It's taken me a few days to process what I got out of our first Lenten visit to the Blessed Sacrament. My husband and I sat in the front pew in the darkness. I brought my Kindle which has my Bible in it. Now, I've been meditating on this scripture for quite a long time:

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Silo'am" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.” John 9:1-7

The part about Jesus spitting into the clay and anointing the man’s eyes in particular has been tripping me up for a while. I always wondered why in every other instance Jesus would heal people with just a word, or command; I wondered why would He decide in this case to do something so formulaic.

I have been thinking back to the second story of creation in the book of Genesis, and figured there was a connection there:

“…a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground -- then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:6-7

So there before Jesus, after deeply praying Psalm 51 (a very effective prayer for Lent), I returned to this passage in Genesis. I asked the Lord to teach me. Something suddenly became illuminated:

“…a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground”—WATER

“…and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”—SPIRIT

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:5-6

The formula for our creation is water & clay for the flesh; the Breath of Life for the Spirit. Can it be MORE logical that the formula for our REBIRTH, or our being born again has to do with WATER AND SPIRIT--BAPTISM & CONFIRMATION? And as if that weren't enough, Jesus demonstrates the power of creation upon a man born blind--working "the works of him who sent me".

Of course this is my own private revelation, and you may have a different take on these stories (and it would be very cool if you shared). In my mind, though, I suddenly see everything Jesus did--even spitting into the dirt and making a paste in this one story--as a powerful message that the Catholic Church is His Church. It's as if Jesus anointed my eyes with clay and made me see.

I can't even put into words the rest of what I've gained from just this one little granule of information; I'm going to spend the next two days with this story and discover what else He taught me.

I can't wait until my next lesson.

The Desert of Translation

There is a new translation of the New American Bible, and it's being promoted at the USCCB Website. I'm not sure about this translation, as I haven't seen it yet--I'm not even hopeful that it will be better than what they're currently using. For example, from today's Gospel reading as posted at the USCCB Website:

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”

Um, USCCB, I have a question: ONE WHAT? One door? One dog? One elephant? One tree?  Are we really serious about using "One" now as the gender-neutral pronoun for human beings?  "One does not live on bread alone." How unremarkably innocuous; how utterly unprecise.

I'm as irritated by this as I was on Ash Wednesday when some random lay person smeared ashes so high on my forehead it was in my hairline and said, "turn from sin and live the gospel".  What happened to remember, Man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return?  Yes, lent is about repentance, but Ash Wednesday is about the REASON for repentance: that the flesh dies. Again, safety trumps precision.

Yes, I know, gender neutrality, oppressive language and all that.

HORSE HOCKEY.

We can't simply ignore the fact that languages developed over thousands of years, and that gender in language is much, much more about sound, meaning and precision than gender. We also can't ignore the fact that written language has always been far more structured, as the desire for precision and clarity call for formality. So when members of the Church buy into the dumbing down of Scripture, the very book containing the teachings of Christ and His apostles, in favor of not offending us women folk, I am a little more than insulted to be perceived a bigot.

Here is the definition of the word "bigotry" from m-w.com: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.  Isn't altering the words of the gospels because certain people don't like to be associated with males--at the expense of clarity--an example of treating a group with hatred and intolerance? We should be more concerned with accuracy than anything else when it comes to working out our salvation, yet people worry more about the he's and she's than about what is actually being said. Isn't this an example of devotion to opinion and prejudice?

Of course uberfeminists wouldn't dare put it into these words, but that's what it is. It's the worst kind of bigotry there is--bigotry against the self.  The modern ideal of feminism promotes self-loathing in women to the point that being feminine is a woman's mortal enemy. What I can't figure out is why so many of our members--Priests, Deacons and laity alike--can't see this.

I, for one, long for the days when on Ash Wednesday a Priest (not a lay person) puts the ashes on my forehead saying, "Remember, MAN, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  Until they return, though, I'm going to stop using the USCCB's Online Bible on this blog, convenient though it may be.

Click Here for the RSV Online

Genesis = Mystical Theology. Genesis ≠ Science At All.

Follow Me

Hearing today’s gospel reminded me of the last time I read this passage of John.  I was in Lectio when I realized just how important it was that Peter went back to fishing after the Crucifixion.  This epiphany led to a rather vivid imagining on my part of the entire scene, which I present to you all here.  

After they finished eating breakfast, Peter bent down to pick up his nets. It made sense to him to return to fishing; it was the life Peter always knew, after all. As he stood with the nets in his hands, intending to return to the boat, he met the gaze of the Lord Jesus standing before him. “Simon, son of John," He said to Peter, "do you love me more than these?”

He squeezed the nets tightly in his hands and swallowed hard. “Yes, Lord,” he answered, his voice cracking and low. “You know that I love you.” 

Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

Peter nodded, then turned toward the sea, focusing once again on gathering up his nets. 

Jesus placed his pierced hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Simon, Son of John,” He said, turning Peter back around to face Him.  Looking earnestly into Peter’s eyes, Jesus asked him again, “Do you love me?” 

Peter tightly closed his eyes for a moment and answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  He gripped the nets tighter, afraid to let it go, afraid to disappoint his Master once again. 

“Tend my sheep.” 

He remembered with shame his arrogance in the upper room before Jesus' arrest, promising to follow Jesus anywhere, even to death. Peter stared at the nets in his hands. I'm still that same arrogant fool, he thought. He couldn't catch a fish all night, until the Lord arrived at the seashore. He needed his Master for everything.  

Everything.

“Simon, son of John.” Jesus placed his wounded hand on Peter's clenched fists and asked him a third time, “Do you love me?”

Peter’s gaze shifted from the nets to the wound in the back of Jesus' hand. Everything Jesus said, everything He predicted, flashed through Peter's mind, especially that last prediction--that Peter would deny his Master. “Lord, you know everything.”  He looked into Jesus’ face as tears quietly fell from his eyes. “You know that I love you.”

"Feed my sheep."  Peter saw that Jesus was holding in his other hand some of the bread from which they ate that morning. "Amen," Jesus continued, "Amen I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."  It was at this moment that Peter realized exactly what Jesus was asking of him.  "Follow me."


He said nothing in reply, but dropped his nets, took the bread from Jesus' hands and followed, even unto death. 

Where Did the Bible Come From?

I'm one of the lucky few for whom prayer and Scripture study is encouraged in the workplace, and I don't work for a Church or religious organization.  I'm in Sales, which means I'm on the phone alot, which means I'm on hold alot.  Which means I can spend quite a bit of time with Scripture every day.

Right now, coincidentally, I'm in the Gospel of Luke.  A few weeks ago I read about the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant.  Have you ever noticed that the filmmakers kind of get this story wrong when they depict it?  Luke 7:1-10 if you're interested.


The History Channel people could learn a thing or two about historical accuracy from these guys.  The presentation is about 40 minutes, so watch it when you have the time.

Flattery: Red Flag?

Last Wednesday I forgot to bring my Magnificat to work with me, so I instead went to my backup daily prayer site, Universalis.

Morning prayer began with Psalm 35 (36 depending on your translation):

"O God, in your light we shall see true light.
Evil whispers to the sinner in the depths of his heart:
     the fear of God does not stand before his eyes.

Evil’s flattering light disguises his wickedness,
     so that he does not hate it."

Evil's flattering light disguises his wickedness.

As Christians, how often do we see ourselves against the backdrop of the world, thinking our souls are in far better shape than they really are?

*     *     *

Speaking of flattery...

Over the years, I've been acquainted with countless "friends" who use flattery as a means to gain something--a sense of belonging, career advancement, social acceptance, or a boost to the self-image (as compared with the world, of course). I still have a few of these kinds of people in my life, and boy do they lay it on thick. I feel sorry for them, because they truly don't understand giving of the self. Every favor has a condition. Every promise is forgotten. Every gift is nominal and often accompanied by saccharin. Their friendships don't last through the years, and wonder why they never seem to get anywhere in life.

Sign after sign is erected before them, and they deliberately shut their eyes, telling themselves that it's never them, never their inability to see themselves in the light of God. They prefer the flattering light of evil, because then they don't have to change.

Of course I would be guilty of lying if I said that I never did anything like this in my life. Sure, I've done things to ingratiate myself to others, especially when I looked at myself against that backdrop of the world, where nothing I do is nearly as bad as what others do.  I even have told my friends to not beat themselves up over things, because what they've done isn't nearly as bad as what others have done, and to not worry about it. 

The more I try to understand myself, though, and the true nature of sin as it works within me, I realize that this is a terrible attitude, and is just as bad as that overt flattery I described.  Lately I'm realizing that when my friends say to me, "compared to others...", I know they're trying to make me feel better, but it's not the response I need from them. Others aren't going to be judging me the day I die. God will, and He doesn't measure according to what others do. If I stop examining my conscience objectively against GOD's rule, I might easily turn into one of those poor souls blinded by evil's flattering light. 

What we all need during these times is not flattery, but prayer:

"Let us not be crushed under the heels of the proud,
     nor dispossessed by the hands of sinners.
The doers of evil have fallen where they stood,
     they are cast down and cannot rise. "