How not to be a useless servant

Today's Readings:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11
• Matthew 25:14-30

Et inutilem servum ejicite in tenebras exteriores.

Throw this useless servant into the darkness outside

Matthew 25:30a

We all have gifts. Some of us use them. Some of us run away from them. I posted this a day or two ago, from Cardinal Newman:

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission — I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his — if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

The thing that I see there, that is the most important, is that Blessed John Henry doesn't send you out on some Vocational Discernment Weekend, nor does he say you need to go hide in the desert until some vision strikes you: only, I shall be a angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep his commandments and serve him in my calling,  by which last he means "in my daily work".

Elsewhere in this same book, (Meditations and Devotions) he offers a very simple rule of life - as quoted by the Catholic Gentleman - to direct us all on the way to Sainthood. Not nominal least common denominator mushiness, mind you, but full on sainthood:

• Do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising;
• give your first thoughts to God;
• make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament;
• say the Angelus devoutly;
• eat and drink to God’s glory;
• say the Rosary well;
• be recollected; keep out bad thoughts;
• make your evening meditation well;
• examine yourself daily;
• go to bed in good time, and you are already perfect.

To this I would add this simple rule, offered by Alexander Schmemann in his journals (Mindul that he was writing privately, but to a hypothetical reader who was craving monastic obedience as the magic panacea for whatever it is that ails you):

• get a job, if possible the simplest one, without creativity (for example as a cashier in a bank);

• while working, pray and seek inner peace; do no get angry; do not think of yourself (rights, fairness, etc.). Accept everyone (coworkers, clients) as someone sent to you; pray for them;

• after paying for a modest apartment and groceries, give your money to the poor; to individuals rather than foundations;

• always go to the same church and there try to be a real helper, not by lecturing about spiritual life or icons, not by teaching but with a “dust rag” (cf. St Seraphim of Sarov). Keep at that kind of service and be–in church matters–totally obedient to the parish priest.

• do not thrust yourself and your service on anyone; do not be sad that your talents are not being used; be helpful; serve where needed and not where you think you are needed;

• read and learn as much as you can; do not read only monastic literature, but broadly (this point needs more precise definition);

• if friends and acquaintances invite you because they are close to you–go; but not too often, and within reason. Never stay more than one and a half or two hours. After that the friendliest atmosphere becomes harmful;

• dress like everybody else, but modestly, and without visible signs of a special spiritual life;

• be always simple, light, joyous. Do not teach. Avoid like the plague any “spiritual” conversations and any religious or churchly idle talk. If you act that way, everything will be to your benefit;

• do not seek a spiritual elder or guide. If he is needed, God will send him, and will send him when needed;

• having worked and served this way for ten years–no less–ask God whether you should continue to live this way, or whether change is needed. And wait for an answer: it will come; the signs will be “joy and peace in the Holy Spirit.”

You can grow and use all your gifts this way. 

And if you can't then try again. Be faithful in piety and love, God will give you ways to use your gifts and you will see them and fulfill them.

Give me oil in my lamp keep me burnin...

Today's Readings:

• 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
• Matthew 25:1-13

Et quæ paratæ erant, intraverunt cum eo ad nuptias, et clausa est janua.

Those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.

Matthew 25:10

There's a reason this is a wedding feast, above and beyond any of the other possible events: you don't come late, or poorly dressed, to a wedding feast. You just don't. When you do, it's a country music song, and it's a hit... because you don't do it.

But we're an egalitarian society (or we pretend to be) and it's perfectly alright to show up to the wedding late - it's just a religious sham anyway. Let me in to the party, dang it.

It's just not nice to keep people locked out just because they ran out of oil or, to be honest, the oil was running low. But it wasn't gone. They just wanted to borrow some. Those selfish prigs said no.

So - to do honor to the bridegroom - they ran out to buy some (on the chance, mind you, that they would run out... they hadn't run out yet...)

And that manipulative scum of a boyfriend locked them out.

At least that's what it sounds like to us modern folks. Those five women with no oil do not know how lucky they are! They are only pounding on the door because the have been acculturated to do so. What they need is a vacation in the good old US of A.  We know how to treat guests here.

But I think we miss a major lesson in the first verse of this chapter. Tunc simile erit regnum cælorum decem virginibus. The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins. Before the Parousia, all these people are the Church together. The kingdom of heaven is the Church.

The foolish virgins are just as much a part of this party as the wise ones. The foolish ones heard the same teachings as the wise ones. They worshipped the same God, had the same sacraments, celebrated the same feasts as the wise ones. They got distracted though. They decided the bridegroom wasn't coming. They had all day to get ready. They had all night to rest up. Instead though, they neither got ready nor did their shopping early. When the time came, they could have bothered. They didn't though. But now that he's here... now they think better get ready.

All of Christianity seems to divide into these wise and foolish virgins. I've met wise ones and foolish ones in the UMC, the ECUSA, the PCUSA, the OCA, the AOCANA, and the RCC. I've met them both in the nondenominational world, and in the indy Cath world.

Across the board, in each one of these groups, there's a group that is all sticklers for the particulars that make one a Roman Catholic as compared to the OCA. There's an Organization that will tell you what is special about ECUSA as compared to the ELCA, or why the UMC is unique among the churches. And in each body there's a second group that doesn't do that very well at all. Their uniform doctrine is "let's all get along, none of that matters." Whilst claiming the name Christian, after a while they even let go of nearly everything that identifies a Christian as one: beginning with our uniform and historic focus on sexual purity (viz teachings on sex outside of sacramental marriage, birth control, abortion, and divorce) and progressing right up to the foundational dogmas of Trinity, Incarnation, and Eucharist. All Foolish Virgins are all alike. Across the board. The sticklers can't seem to agree on if there is such a thing as baptismal regeneration, but they know Jesus is God in the Flesh.

I know I've staked my soul on the teachings of the Catholic Church, but I have rather more in common with someone who has made the same stake on Luther or Cramner than I do with someone who supports the Concordat. All foolish virgins are all alike, and they are all boring. I've been in all these places and lots of people asleep in the light.

This is why the foolish virgins are knocking on the the door and asking to be let in: they know what they are missing. They remember the promises that are made at baptism. They have heard the legitimate teachings of the faith all their lives. Yet they rejected them, walked away, found other teachers that would satisfy them by saying things like 'that's not a sin' and 'do whatever you want, but just love..." But they knew it wasn't the Church. They knew, inside, that there was a place they were supposed to be.

And in the end, too late.  They made so many choices, picked their way through so many things, that, that sudden realization that oh, it's all true...

The Voices in My Head

Today's Readings:

• I Thessalonians 3:7-13
• Matthew 24:42-51

Vigilate ergo, quia nescitis qua hora Dominus vester venturus sit.

Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.

Matthew 24:42

I have my phone, essentially, turned off all the time. I have my spam filters on high on my email. I never answer the phone if I don't know who is calling (caller ID is our friend) and never open emails unless something is supposed to be here, now, about that thing there. 

So why do I accept ideas no matter what they offer?

I know a lot of people (perhaps you do, too) who say they might miss an important email or call. They talk to anyone who rings the phone, they open and click around in every email.

They also get viruses and get hacked a lot.

In NYC, there were these people that would hear their apartment door buzz and just press the "open" button: buzzing in whomever was there. They never worried about this door person robbing them - they were home, big and strong. But, really, the people in danger were the elderly and the alone in the other apartments. Someone would hear a knock on the door and then get beat up. Or someone would turn a dark corner in the stairwell. Boom.

Letting in anything and anyone is a recipe for danger in a lot of cases. In today's parable, Jesus uses the same word he will, later, use in the Garden. (Matthew 26:40) "Could you not watch with me?" and St Peter will use this word in his Epistle, telling us to "be sober and vigilant." (1 Peter 5:8) And at the end of time, it is the word used to remind us, "Blessed is he that watcheth". (Revelation 16:15)

The Greek is γρηγορέω grégoreó. The Latin is Vigilate. Although it means "vigilant" and "Wakeful" and "Watchful". Just as "falling asleep" means "dying" this also means "Alive."  I think The NABRE gets the message best with "STAY AWAKE!" Heads up, eyes bright! Keep the homefires burning.

You don't know when Jesus is coming back, stay on your toes.

That sounds like "Jesus is coming, look busy." In fact, there's something else before this - at least in St Peter's text, it's "Be sober".

The Parable of the Wicked Servant who goes out and abuses the others needs to be thought of as something out of Inside Out, or Ratatouille, or the granddaddy of the concept, Herman's Head. Think, as well, of this verse from the Psalms:

Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. (136:9), the wicked servant is doing the same thing... but he's doing it to the wrong things.

The Fathers saw that passage from the Psalms as referring to taking wicked thought and dashing them against the Rock of Christ. By staying awake and sober we catch the evil thoughts as they begin and dash them in pieces against Jesus.

The reverse is when we let the wicked servant (our passions) get in there and dash everyone else about and bully them into submission to his lust (or pride, or envy, or greed..) If the wicked servant is running the show, when Jesus shows up, it's too late. But if we are sober, vigilant, AWAKE, we can catch these things before the get in motion, at all.

Frederica Mathewes-Green once compared evil thoughts to messages tied to rocks thrown through the windows of our mind by the evil ones. The trick is to pick up the rocks and throw them back out without reading the messages: to get the stuff out of your mental house before it infects other things. We each know how quick that can be, I think, although the time will be different depending on the situation, the sin, the setting. The ramp is short and sweet: oh, hey, look at this.. that sounds fun.. omg... too late.

It's like that for sex and anger for me, anyway.

So, you don't open and click on all the emails. You don't answer your phone all the time. Why do you respond to this?

Letting the wicked servant beat up everyone, getting his own way, it a bad place to be in. The servant gets used to running the show. Everyone else gets used to being bullied. In the end, no one get's what they need or want. Even the bully misses out. (Only Satan gets lucky.) Being watchful, all the time, is how it's avoided (being sober is the way to be watchful, but that's another essay.)

Never be Thrown Away

From: Meditations and Devotions By Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman

Section 3:2

God was all-complete, all-blessed in Himself; but it was His will to create a world for His glory. He is Almighty, and might have done all things Himself, but it has been His will to bring about His purposes by the beings He has created. We are all created to His glory — we are created to do His will. I am created to do something or to be something for which no one else is created; I have a place in God's counsels, in God's world, which no one else has; whether I be rich or poor, despised or esteemed by man, God knows me and calls me by my name.

2. God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission — I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his — if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

3. Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me — still He knows what He is about.

Colloquy: O Adonai, O Ruler of Israel, Thou that guidest Joseph like a flock, O Emmanuel, O Sapientia, I give myself to Thee. I trust Thee wholly. Thou art wiser than I — more loving to me than I myself. Deign to fulfil Thy high purposes in me whatever they be — work in and through me. I am born to serve Thee, to be Thine, to be Thy instrument. Let me be Thy blind instrument. I ask not to see — I ask not to know — I ask simply to be used.

All comes from God

via GIPHY Today's Readings:

• 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
• Mark 6:17-29

Ita loquimur non quasi hominibus placentes, sed Deo, qui probat corda nostra.
Even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who proveth our hearts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4b

In thinking about this passage in the context of St John's decollation I was thinking about how many times St John is pictured as yelling (especially in motion pictures). It's not enough that John say the truth, he has to yell it out. Herod: you're an adulterer. Herodias, you're committing incest. That could have been whispered and his head would come off. The weak are ever afraid of the truth. The emperor's new something or other.

Today's world is no less volatile, yet we imagine that we are all emperors, each of us with our fragile little egos inflated, waiting to be popped by a neighbor so that we can yell, "Off with their head!" And so how often do we speak as pleasing men (at all). I'm not talking about topics like sex and marriage here. I'm talking about all the ways we cater to those over us, to those whom we don't care to bother, offend, engage...

Yesterday I was sitting on a bus with a friend. We were discussing food and things when two teenagers sate down across from us. They were unable to cope with our high falutin topic and so began to make fun of us. This bothered me to no end. So I clammed up. My friend continued talking about beers and such, but I was rather monosyllabic until the kids left the bus.

That was my pride coming into play. But that what it is when we speak to please men: it's always our pride. How is it so? When we are only concerned for our Job, or our care for the family, or not wanting to get into arguments, or what not... how is it prideful to say something that keeps the peace? If the legitimate issue is "To keep the peace" there may be hope here, but most time it's not to keep the peace so much as to not cause trouble, or, to not get into trouble. Fear is pride in another form. How so: I don't want to do anything here that I can't control. Especially if it's a matter of moral or truthfulness, I should always trust God when I speak up for his side of the equation. But even when it's not so important, not trusting my personal safety and my life (in all respects) to God seems... prideful.

This is not the same thing as "God will bless me because I'm his child" nor is it the Prosperity Gospel or any other form of it. Rather this is saying God will bring all things to my salvation. It's ok. I'm in his hands. Even so, we are commanded to speak with prudence, charity, and a care for the weakest brethren.

So, if you've reached sme sort of decision, something that needs to be said, or you're engaged in a good heart to heart with a friend and just can't bring yourself to say one thing, or you disengage from a conversation because your companion is oblivious to the snarky kids; then you have started to pay attention to men rather than God.

Now, what has any of these things to do with St Paul or with St John's head?

If you cave on the little things, you will cave on the big ones. If you've done no practicing at all on not letting pride and fear run you life when the going is awkward then when the going is rough, you'll hide in your pride and fear all the more faster.

I was reading Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman yesterday afternoon, his Meditations and Devotions. This prayer speaks to this theme, I believe:

O, my God, I will put myself without reserve into Thy hands. Wealth or woe, joy or sorrow, friends or bereavement, honour or humiliation, good report or ill report, comfort or discomfort, Thy presence or the hiding of Thy countenance, all is good if it comes from Thee. Thou art wisdom and Thou art love — what can I desire more ? Thou hast led me in Thy counsel, and with glory hast Thou received me. What have I in heaven, and apart from Thee what want I upon earth ? My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the God of my heart, and my portion for ever.

That line, "Wealth or woe, joy or sorrow, friends or bereavement, honour or humiliation, good report or ill report, comfort or discomfort, Thy presence or the hiding of Thy countenance, all is good if it comes from Thee." How unlike us is that line... "It's all good if it comes from God."

We do like to think some things come from God. But what about those other things? Clearly that's Satan.

But no: it's all coming from God. Certainly God works with our Free Will, but that said, how many times do we run away from something we're afraid of simply because it's out of our hands? How many times do we not want something, do we walk away from higher, more difficult, and because I want to indulge my fears or my social hopes; because it's not in our control?

King, Country, & a la Carte Catholicism

Today's readings:

• Isaiah 22:19-23
• Romans 11:33-36
• Matthew 16:13-20

I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority.

Isaiah 22:19-21a

I joined the Holy Name Society a couple of weeks ago. Actually, I had quite the week: joining Holy Name, Angelic Warfare, and the Rosary Confraternities. As all three of those societies are under the O.P. it was a Dominican Trifecta! 

The Holy Name Society, though, was a bit of a surprise to me. Here's a part of the Holy Name Society pledge:

In honor of His Divine Name
I pledge myself against perjury,
Blasphemy, profanity and obscene speech.
I pledge my loyalty
To the flag of my country.
And to the God given principles
Of freedom, justice and happiness.
For which it stands.
I pledge my support
To all lawful authority
Both civil and religious.

Adopted in 1937, we were not really fighting anyone yet, neither communists or fascists. But we (Catholics) were dealing with a lot hate-filled sentiment that imagined we were out to try to get the Pope to rule the nation. We were happy to even promise that was not the case.

Even today, however, the Catechism of the Church teaches, The authority required by the moral order derives from God: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." (❡1899) And again, "God's fourth commandment also enjoins us to honor all who for our good have received authority in society from God." (2234)

Once upon a time President G. W. Bush claimed God put him in office. This is true. It is equally true of Mr Obama. And Mr Trump. God's providential mercy has left us here on purpose. We don't get the leaders we deserve, because God is merciful. We get the leaders we need to work out our salvation in fear and trembling.

A lot (a majority?) of us want peace, stability, equality, liberty, and fraternity. God wants us saved.

So we Catholics honor the leaders God gave us.

But what about when they are idiots?

Well, we got, really, only two choices. The commandment is clear: Honor the idiot anyway because God said so.

And there's the entirety of today's reading from Romans:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Elsewhere St Paul says, "All things work for our good." So, mindful he was saying that under Nero the Nutty, I think we're in good shape to be saying the same thing under Our Orange Mr Bultitude.  We just don't know how. And we have to admit that we don't know. We have to trust that, like in Isaiah's text, God's totally got this. "I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station." When we pray, we can be heard. Plus we have another leader. If the Church is the Kingdom of God, by which template all earthly kingdoms are judged, then we have a leader above all other leaders, one we should follow no matter what.

But we don't like to, do we?

On the left are those who reject the Church's teaching on Sex, on the right those who reject the Church's teachings on economy. Avarice (greed) is a much a sin as Lust and usury will damn you near as quick as fornication. What are we to do when our political choices are between the forces of Amoral Economic Justice with Lust, or Sexual Purity with Amoral Greed?

We must live our lives secure in our faith: those who pick one side over the other, giving up half the goods offered us by God, have already lost the struggle.

And so we come in the Gospel to our Foundation.

Tu es Petros.
Hier stehe ich.

Scribes AND Pharisees

Today's readings:

• Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17
• Matthew 23:1-12

Dicunt enim, et non faciunt

For they preach but they do not practice.

Matthew 23:3b

Oh this is so rich. The Greek word play is between "using words" (logos) and "making" (poetas). They use their words, yeah, but they're certainly not poets...

As a Catholic (and before, as Eastern Orthodox) a common lament heard all over the place from all sorts of people: to my liberal friends, I am too conservative. To my conservative friends, I'm too liberal. The Church can't fit into modern cultural categories very easily. This thing of "loving the sinner but hating the sin" leaves us sort of stranded a lot. We have to welcome all comers - especially the outcasts who don't fit into any of society's power agenda. But we leave none of them unchanged. When you realize the important struggles are not about power, your heart opens to Love.

I hear the word Pharisee thrown around a lot. No one gets called a "Scribe". But there are a lot of folks accused of being Pharisee. Yet, in Jesus's time, those would have been the Good Guys for a lot of the culture. They were the liberals. You could play with the Bible in their tradition. You could make up stuff based on cultural guesses. They were sticklers about the rules they made up, but they were way more liberal about it than the other party, the Sadducees. These were literalists - only what was in the Bible, thank you: none of that finagling around! If the Sadducees were fundies, the Pharisees were more, pardon me, Jesuitical.

In one of my favorite stories from the Talmud, the liberal camp - meaning the camp that says they can debate the meaning of words - wins an argument with God who admits defeat by saying "My children have bested me."

In one way of looking at things, the division between Jews and Christians is simply this: one group of Rabbis says Jesus is the Messiah. Two other groups of Rabbis (both Conservative Sadducees and liberal Pharisees) say he is not the Messiah. In the end the Pharisees win the debate within Judaism, even recasting the scriptures to fit their modes of debate. The Messianic rabbis drifted off and became the Church.

And so there: they preach and yet they do not practice. Sure, they are using all their words... but they don't know what those words actually mean.

On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus opens the minds of Luke and Cleopus to his presence in all the scriptures. Jesus wants us to listen to the teachings of Israel. But he wants us to know what those teachings really mean - not the empty words of the Pharisees, or the Scribes, or the Sadducees.  We cannot find our common ground with either the fundamentalist Sadducees of our time who would deny the mysteries of our faith, or with the liberal Pharisees of our time who would deny the doctrines God has revealed. We're not to fall in the fundamentalist literalism of either the left or of the right. We must hold fast to both words (the logos) and the poetry (poetas) of scripture and tradition, the both/and of Catholicism.  We must follow our vocational call to the poetas, the poetry and dance of the real meanings of the scriptural words.

The poetry of the Logos, the making of all things new, is the rite of the Faith dancing through the world. We spin like dervishes, opening our minds and hearts to the wisdom of God's Holy Spirit. Bread is made flesh. Wine is made blood. God made man. What is old made new.

God has opened the eyes of the blind. Meanwhile those who claim to see are shown to be liars who walk in darkness.