Fr. Bob's Corner

In a very special way this video movingly captures our common humanity,  inter-dependence, and need for one another.

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I recently read Fr. Richard Richard Rohr’s Book: Hope Against Darkness. (The Transforming Vision of St. Francis in an Age of Anxiety) Some of you might find it to be a particularly relevant given the upheaval in our world at the present time. It is also a good Lenten book, in my opinion.

Fr. Richard (a Franciscan priest) is founder and animator of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of numerous books, including Jesus’ Plan for a New World, The Sermon on the Mount with John Feister (St. Anthony Messenger Press). Besides his Center in New Mexico, he gives retreats and lectures internationally. He also emails free of charge a daily Meditation to which I subscribe. I thought today’s particularly moving and insightful so I am including it here. You might like to subscribe yourself – there is a link below.

SUFFERING

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Think back to the good old days when most Catholics and Protestants went to church each Sunday? These are often touted as the ‘golden days’ when few doubted God’s existence, and our churches were filled with generous contributors, and everyone, or almost everyone, professed to be Christian. Now think, was the world any more loving, honest, merciful, forgiving, than it is today. Maybe, but in my humble experience, I remember little evidence. When all were Christian, most felt quite satisfied with the status quo, and felt little challenge to explore and deepen faith.

Of course, I speak in generalities, and there were some memorable and wonderful people who I remember, and still consider saints. The point I want to make is just this. Faith is a gift that must never grow stagnant, or be taken for granted. It is about being light amidst the darkness. Maybe the times we live in, and the ‘crisis of faith’ we perceive around us, is God’s way of shaking things up, and drawing us into a more committed relationship with God, one another, and the world – a deeper and more mature faith.

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Did you know that most of the world religions have a primary belief and teaching in common. If only we could all learn to put into practice the golden rule of all these religions.

The Golden Rule Across the World’s Religions
Thirteen Sacred Texts – English Version

Baha’i Faith

Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.

Baha’u'llah, Gleanings

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Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When I read this prayer by this holy man, the founder of the Jesuits, I became very uncomfortable. Could I pray this prayer, I pondered? Yes, I thought, but parts of it I would not really mean. In fact, I would be praying just the opposite in the next breath.

Everything that we are and have is a gift from God. Ultimately, all that is really important is God’s love and God’s grace, but in this mortal world of flesh and blood my liberty, memory, understanding are very important to me.

This prayer is about imitating Jesus, and forsaking all, but I must say that I have a long way to go yet. How about you?

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Words can clarify, prove, confuse, destroy, be helpful, wound etc. etc.. In our search for God, and our understanding of faith, words can be all these and more. I received this dialogue from a parishioner the other day, and I think it explains what I mean. Ultimately, as human beings we are finite, and when it come to God, we need to walk humbly and in awe. Enjoy!

‘Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
‘You’re a Christian, aren’t you, son?’
‘Yes sir,’ the student says.
‘So you believe in God?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Is God good?’
‘Sure! God’s good.’
‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’
‘Yes’
‘Are you good or evil?’
‘The Bible says I’m evil.’
The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?’
‘Yes sir, I would.’
‘So you’re good…!’
‘I wouldn’t say that.’
‘But why not say that? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. ‘He doesn’t, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?’
The student remains silent.
‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
‘Let’s start again, young fella. Is God good?’
Er … yes,’ the student says.
‘Is Satan good?’
The student doesn’t hesitate on this one. ‘No.’
‘Then where does Satan come from?’
The student falters. ‘From God’
‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God did make everything, correct?’
‘Yes’
‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’
Again, the student has no answer. ‘Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?’
The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’
‘So who created them?’
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. ‘Who created them?’ There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. ‘Tell me,’ he continues onto another student. ‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?’
The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’
The old man stops pacing. ‘Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?’
‘No sir. I’ve never seen Him.’
‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’
‘No, sir, I have not.’
‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?’
‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’
‘Yet you still believe in him?’
‘Yes’
‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?’
‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’
‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. ‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’
‘ yes.
‘And is there such a thing as cold?’
‘Yes, son, there’s cold too.’
‘No sir, there isn’t.’
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. ‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.’
‘Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.’
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’
‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it isn’t darkness?’
‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word.’
‘In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. ‘So what point are you making, young man?’
‘Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’
The professor’s face cannot hide his surprise this time. ‘Fl awed? Can you explain how?’
‘You are working on the premise of duality,’ the student explains. ‘You argue that there is life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’
‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.’
‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?’
‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.’
‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?’
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.’
The student looks around the room. ‘Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into laughter.
‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain,
felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelt the professor’s brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.’
‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lecture s, sir?’
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I guess you’ll have to take them on faith.’
‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?’
Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see it everyday It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’
To this the student replied, ‘Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.’ 

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It seems as if there is an international effort to respond to those that have seen a UFO, and believe in aliens from outer space. Recently France, Belgium, and the U.K., and a few other countries have released or are about to release their secret dossiers on this very subject. This week the Vatican waded into this highly controversial topic on May 14 with an interview in L’Osservatore Romano with Fr. Funes S.J., the director of the Vatican Observatory. Why Now? Maybe it is to counter all the debate out there and prove that there is really nothing, or maybe, just maybe, there really is proven life in outer space, and we are not alone. If you would like to hear what Fr. Funes had to say, and you may be surprised, here is a link to the CNS which covered the story. Better still, here is a translation of the interview on frroderick.com.

Prayer can take many methods and forms. One way of praying is called “Imaginative Contemplation”, or “Ignatian Contemplation”. Using this method of prayer you allow your imagination which you use in daydreaming and creative projects to take you on a spiritual journey.

If you haven’t tried it, I suggest you select a gospel story and read it over silently a few times, then sit back in a comfortable position, close your eyes and just remember what you have read. Place yourself in the story as a spectator, seeing and hearing the people, the situation, the time of day, and all the little details that make the story come alive in your mind.  At first you might have trouble remembering details, and you will need to refer back to the scripture. After a little practice you will find the scriptures come alive, and begin experiencing the bible in a way that you never thought possible.

For more information on this form of prayer you should visit the website of Fr. Rob Marsh S.J. and his post on Imaginative Contemplation.   

Strange as this title may be, it does not condone sin, but points to moments of conversion. The following is an excerpt from an email sent by Sr. Joan Chittister to subscribers to Benetvision.

“It is not that sin is not sin. It is simply that sin is not the end of the world?and, in fact, may actually be the beginning of a number of things that can be gained hardly any other way in life and without which life is a pitiful place. A bout with greed may be precisely what teaches us the freedom of poverty. A struggle with lust may well be what, in the end, teaches us about the real nature of love. A strong dose of anger may be what it takes to teach us the beauty of gentleness.

There are, in other words, things to be learned from sin. One is compassion. Another is understanding. A third is humility. A fourth is perception. Without the ability to own our own sins, these qualities are all hard to come by indeed.

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Last week’s Gospel reminded us to “stay awake and to keep alert.” In his homily Deacon Kerry quoted an anonymous author who said, “the most dangerous day of our lives comes when we learn the word tomorrow.” The challenge of doing our best to bring the christian message alive in our lives, and in the world we live in, is an awesome task. At times, no matter how alert we try to be, the problems of life seem overwhelming, and we just feel like isolating ourselves for a while and adopting the ‘mannana’ (tomorrow) way of coping. Sometimes we do need to step back, but this does not mean ‘turn off or ‘give up’.

This advent weekend, we once again hear John the Baptist’s stern call to repentance: “Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near.” (Jn.3:1) Are we alert, or have we drifted into the world of ‘mannana land’ where nothing can get through to disturb our little world? Jesus was relentless in disturbing those that had found comfort in this world, for it usually meant that they had lost their way. John the Baptist was harsh and just as disturbing: “You brood of vipers,” was the greeting the pharisees heard when they found him in the desert.

Advent is a time when we explore what it means to wait upon the Lord. We are a people awaiting the Lord’s return. How do we wait? Hopefully, we wait with alertness, and stubborn determination to do God’s will. If we wait in hope, believing that one day the ‘wolf will lie down with the lamb,’ (as Isaiah symbolically puts it), we will seek God’s ways, find comfort in prayer, and continue doing our best to prepare for the day when the Lord returns in Glory. May “the God of steadfastness and encouragement”(Rom.15) be with us, as we continue our journey through Advent to Christmas, and into the New Year 2008, until that day on which there is no sunset and no dawning.

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