happiness

Keeping it Real

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6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Gospel of Matthew 5: 17-37

Meditation Reflection:

 Freedom in Christ is founded on freedom from being fake. We are masters at the false front. By an early age most of us can pull off “I’m fine” to anyone who asks, no matter how untrue it may be. Keeping up appearances, looking successful, and seeming to be more than we are occurs in every time period and culture. Social media amplifies today’s version, as we can literally craft our public persona via selective posts and pictures.

We not only mask our imperfections; we often mask our sins as well. From the back-handed compliment, to disparaging remarks prefaced by “God bless her soul, but…”, to shallow mantras like “You only live once” or “it’s not like it’s against the law”, we rationalize our viciousness in countless ways. Like addicts, we deny we have a problem with sin, and we excuse and blame our behavior on everyone and everything but ourselves.

Just as sobriety can only be achieved through facing reality, so human freedom from sin being realcan only be wrought from an utter realness about ourselves. When Moses asked God to reveal His Name, God responded that it is “YHWH” or “I AM”. God revealed that He is. God is being and existence, He is the source of all that is real. Thus, union with God requires utter realness and authenticity.

Lewis wrote about this mystery in a brilliantly imaginative way in his book The Great Divorce. The divorce in this case refers to the divide between heaven and hell and describes the process of purgation for those still travelling to heaven. Drawing from scriptural imagery, he describes inhabitants of hell as phantoms. On the opposite spectrum, he calls those in heaven “solid people.” The main character arrives at a gray bus stop, phantom-ish, and his journey toward heaven is one of becoming more solid – or more “real”. To do this he must surrender all that he keeps false within himself. I won’t give away more than that, as I highly recommend this read! I will only offer this teaser – Lewis creates numerous characters whose struggle to move from ghostish versions of themselves to the authentic provides deep insight into the rationalizations with which most of us struggle, the pain of conversion, and the joy of letting it go and experiencing authentic freedom.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus directly calls us out on how we tip toe around the truth and avoid real virtue and, in consequence, real love and relationship. How many times have we heard the excuse, “well, it’s not like I’ve killed anyone. I’m a decent person.”? Yet, harboring anger can be deeply destructive and emerge in violence that might be more subtle, but no less real. Passive-aggressive behaviors, online bullying, slander, gossip, critical remarks and callous attitudes prevent relationship and they hold us back from heaven.

Jesus states clearly, “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) and “so be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) A man who loves his wife, doesn’t look lustfully at other women. A woman who loves her husband, doesn’t flirt with other men. Does it matter whether it’s technically adultery? Jesus calls out the dishonesty. Either way, it certainly feels like cheating to the other spouse. Why? Because love is total, exclusive, and lifelong. Our love for our spouse should mirror love for God. In fact, God created the first man and woman in the state of marriage because as two persons in a relationship of life- giving love, they imaged the Triune God!

Authenticity begins by simply letting our Yes be yes, and our No be no. Drop the exaggerations and minimizations. Leave the white lies. Take down the false fronts. It feels like going a day without make-up at first, but not forever. As we become more at peace with ourselves, we become more comfortable in the truth. Eventually the fake-ness we clung to in the past will feel like too much make-up, caked on, that you can’t wait to wash off at the end of the day.

Jesus wants us, not the façades we create. He accepts us as we are and helps us become the truest version of ourselves. When this happens, we can begin to experience the real relationship, and real love necessary for heaven.

Consider:

  • List your most common struggles in a day, then pray about what interior attitude or disposition underlies them.
    • Consider the 7 Capital Sins for ideas (pride, envy, greed, anger, sloth, lust, and gluttony)
  • What is your most common/tempting rationalization?
  • In what ways have you grown in authenticity over the years? Reflect on how good it feels to be yourself.
  • Who is someone you can be completely yourself around; who knows the “real” you?
  • Consider how honesty is necessary for relationship.

Make a Resolution (Practical Application):

  • Tackle one rationalization this week. Be direct with yourself and with God. Name the struggle, occasions of temptation, and the rationalization you use. Decide on how you will avoid the temptation or create a counter-mantra to repeat when you hear yourself rationalizing.

Example:

  • Daily struggle: Crabby toward your spouse and kids
  • Occasions of temptation: Getting out the door in the morning, right after a long day at work, or when interrupted during a project
  • Rationalizations: “They’re my family and should love me unconditionally – this is just who I am”; “I work hard to care for my family, and it just means I will be stressed out”
  • Counter-mantras: “They’re my family – they deserve my best behavior” or “I need to find balance in my life so I can be a peaceful person to my family”
  • Avoiding temptation –
    • Begin the day 10 minutes earlier so you aren’t stressed about running late (even better, begin with a prayer!);
    • create transition time between work and home – listen to Christian music on the drive and count your blessings so you arrive with a positive attitude;
    • adjust expectations for completing projects – expect to get interrupted by kids and be grateful for them, try to include them in the project if possible
  • ~ Written by Angela M. Jendro © 2019
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Expressions of Feminine Self-Gift Part III: Setting the World on Fire (Highlights and quotations from my talk at “Devoted” at St. John the Baptist.)

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What a gift to speak at St. John the Baptist tonight with the women of “Devoted”!  I was privileged to spend the evening with such remarkable ladies at such a beautiful event. Below are some highlights and the quotations I referenced.   

Red heart shaped tree

St. Catherine of Siena “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire”

God can and DOES do INCREDIBLE things through His children. The life of every saint testifies to God’s mighty work through their little “yes”.

 Who does God mean for your to be? – First: a Woman

Women have particular gifts from God to set the world ablaze with His transformative Truth and Love.

Examples of Women in the Gospels:

  • Mothers: Mary, Elizabeth
  • Prophetess: Anna
  • Some accompanied him on His journey Some provided for them out of their means (Luke 8:1-3) Joanna, Susanna
  • Mary, Martha – friends of Jesus
  • Jesus holds up the poor widow as a model of generosity “This poor widow has put in more than all of them”
  • Most profound teachings given to women
    • Woman at the well
    • Martha about resurrection from the dead
      • “This conversation with Martha is one of the most important in the Gospel” John Paul II On the Dignity of Women 15
    • Mary Magdalene – the first to see the risen Christ; Thomas Aquinas calls her the “apostle to the apostles”

 The Feminine Genius is needed now more than ever

The Second Vatican Council proclaimed:

“The hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of women is being acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved.   That is why, at this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women imbued with a spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid humanity in not falling.”

The Council’s Message to Women as quoted in John Paul II’s On the Dignity and Vocation of Women

Special Genius of Women 

  • Theological insights from feminine perspective
    • Pope Francis remarked that we need more women theologians
    • Julian of Norwich (1342-1416)  English anchorite; Her work is based on a series of 16 visions she received in 1373
      • Meditates on Jesus’ motherly care for us
        • Compares His passion to pregnancy and birth
        • The Eucharist to nursing a baby (“He feeds us with Himself”)
        • The tenderness of a mother holding her child to Christ bringing us close to Him through His Church
      • 4 women doctors of the Church
        • Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, mystic;
        • Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)
        • Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
        • Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897)
      • Contemporary Catholic theologian – Edith Stein, a.k.a. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942)
  • Gift for Acknowledging the Person
“Woman naturally seeks to embrace that which is living, personal, and whole. To cherish, guard, protect, nourish and advance growth is her natural maternal yearning.” Edith SteinWoman
  • Building relationships and society – humanizing vs. technocratic and efficiency only
“Thank you, every woman, for the simple fact of being a woman! Through the insight which is so much a part of your womanhood you enrich the world’s understanding and help to make human relations more honest and authentic.” John Paul II Letter to Women 1995
  • Antidote to individualism – motherhood as a white martyrdom
Mothers are the strongest antidote to the spread of self-centered individualism. “Individual” means “what cannot be divided”. Mothers, instead, “divide” themselves, from the moment they bear a child to give him to the world and help him grow… Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero said that mothers experience a “maternal martyrdom”. In the homily for the funeral of a priest assassinated by death squads, he said, recalling the Second Vatican Council: “We must be ready to die for our faith, even if the Lord does not grant us this honor…. Giving one’s life does not only mean being killed; giving one’s life, having the spirit of a martyr, it is in giving in duty, in silence, in prayer, in honest fulfilment of his duty; in that silence of daily life; giving one’s life little by little. Yes, like it is given by a mother, who without fear and with the simplicity of the maternal martyrdom, conceives a child in her womb, gives birth to him, nurses him, helps them grow and cares for them with affection. She gives her life. That’s martyrdom”.

Pope Francis Wednesday Audience January 2015

Obstacles

 Edith Stein noted that our gifts can also become distorted by sin.

  • Concern for the person can get out of control and turn into meddling and gossip
  • The desire to integrate everything can also lead to getting spread too thin and dabbling in too many things
  • A heart of service that sees the needs of others can turn into a dominating or controlling “help” – the “nagging wife” or “helicopter mom”

There is hope in our struggles!

  • Romans 8:28
    • “God works all things together for good for those that love Him”
  • Philippians 1:6
    • “I am sure that He Who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

 Your expression of self gift will also include your PERSONAL circumstances, vocation, temperament, talents, opportunities

Family Life

  • Innate wisdom to guide the family – including the husband and wife
    • “She craves for an unhampered development of her personality just as much as she does to help another toward that same goal.   And thus the husband will find that she can give him invaluable advice in guiding the lives of the children as well as of themselves.” Edith Stein Woman

Making a house a home

  • “Part of her natural feminine concern for the right development of the beings surrounding her involves the creation of an ambience, of order and beauty conducive to their development.” Edith Stein Woman

Spiritual Motherhood 

  • Example of Elisabeth LeSeur 1866-1914
    • Her husband Felix remarking on the days approaching her death (after which he converted to Catholicism and later became a priest!):
“She did indeed uplift all who surrounded or approached her, and it was a strange thing to see this woman, so modest, so humble of heart, condemned to practical immobility, shedding around her far and wide the light of her great influence.”

An atheist friend after her passing:

“Some beings are a light toward which all turn who need light to live by!”

Work Life

Edith Stein notes that some jobs naturally align with feminine genius more than others.  However, women have something unique to offer every kind of work and in every case they bring their interpersonal gifts to the culture of the workplace.

“Thus the participation of women in the most diverse professional disciplines could be a blessing for the entire society, private or public, precisely if the specifically feminine ethos would be preserved.” Edith Stein Woman

Work-life balance

“Her professional activity counterbalances the risk of submerging herself all too intimately in another’s life and thereby sacrificing her own; however, an exclusive preoccupation with her professional activity would bring the opposite danger of infidelity toward her feminine vocation. Only those who surrender themselves completely into the Lord’s hand can trust that they will avoid disaster between Scylla and Charybdis.   Whatever is surrendered to Him is not lost but saved, chastened, exalted and proportioned out in true measure.”

Edith Stein Woman

Public Life

“In our own time, the successes of science and technology make it possible to attain material well being to a degree hitherto unknown. While this favors some, it pushes others to the margines of society. In this way, unilateral progress can also lead to a gradual loss of sensitivity for man, that is, for what is essentially human.   In this sense, our time in particular awaits the manifestation of that ‘genius’ which belongs to women, and which can ensure sensititivty for human beings in every circumstance: because they are human! – and because ‘the greatest of these is love’ (cf. 1 Cor 13:13)”

John Paul II On the Dignity and Vocation of Woman

 

Progress usually tends to be measured according to the criteria of science and technology. Nor from this point of view has the contribution of women been negligible. Even so, this is not the only measure of progress, nor in fact is it the principal one. Much more important is the social and ethical dimension, which deals with human relations and spiritual values. In this area, which often develops in an inconspicuous way beginning with the daily relationships between people, especially within the family, society certainly owes much to the “genius of women”.

John Paul II Letter to Women 1995

Closing:

Jeremiah 29:11

“Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you, the LORD declares, plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

MUSTARD SEED

Matthew 13:31-32

“He put another parable before them, ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air can come and shelter in its branches”

The greatest example of feminine genius is Mary. Her yes brought about the incarnation of God and our salvation!

Mary models perfect discipleship. Each of us are being called by God.  We need only be our true selves to set the world on fire with His love!

~ Written by Angela Jendro © 2019

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Finding Beatitude: Part II of Expressions of Feminine Self-Gift

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by Angela M Jendro

A summary from my talk last night with the amazing women of Devoted at St. John the Baptist Church. These women are so impressive and their prayerful, thoughtful ministry shows it! What a privilege to spend the evening with them!

Expressions of Feminine Self-Gift: Part II – Finding BeatitudeBeatitude

Paradoxically, we find self-fulfillment and happiness through self-gift (a theme often taught by Pope St. John Paul II)

The culture frames the questions of happiness around self assertion and individualism in pursuit of pleasure and status. Possessions and positions are limited so we must compete for them – against men and even against each other.

In contrast, when we open the Bible we find that God frames the questions completely differently. Creation began with self-gift: God’s gift of self – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to one another, and out of that love came creation. God made man and woman in relationship to one another and to God – one of free gift of self, in which they found fulfillment and joy.

Men and Women together image God. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

Although equal in dignity and sharing a human nature, men and women are also different and each has unique gifts that complement one another. Therefore, their self-gift will proceed from their masculinity or femininity.

“The personal resources of femininity are certainly no less than the resources of masculinity: they are merely different.   Hence a woman, as well as a man, must understand her ‘fulfillment’ as a person, her dignity and vocation, on the basis of these resources, according to the richness of the femininity which she received on the day of creation and which she inherits as an expression of the ‘image and likeness of God’ that is specifically hers”

John Paul II.   On the Dignity and Vocation of Women Art.10

 

“In the Spirit of Christ, in fact, women can discover the entire meaning of their femininity and thus be disposed to making a ‘sincere gift of self’ to others, thereby finding themselves.”

John Paul II. On the Dignity and Vocation of Women Art.31

So how do we find happiness? Real happiness – the lasting kind, the beatitude kind. The kind that goes deep, is rich with meaning and honor, the legacy kind that makes you proud of who you are and who God made you to be?

happiness.jpg

The Beatitudes. In these we find the way of happiness.

They proceed one after another as the steps of conversion so we may, as St. Therese put it, ascend the mountain of God by descending the valley of humility. Which Jesus confirmed when He said that “whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humble himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12)

Let’s not be afraid of words like self-gift and humility. In Christ we can be assured of the protection of our dignity, to never be taken advantage of, and only to be lifted up to the fullness of our individual personalities and calling.

Christ’s way of acting, the Gospel of His words and deeds, is a consistent protest against whatever offends the dignity of women. Consequently, the women who are close to Christ discover themselves in the truth which he ‘teaches’ and ‘does,’ even when this truth concerns their ‘sinfulness.’ They felt ‘liberated’ by this truth, restored to themselves they feel loved with ‘eternal love,’ with a love which finds direct expression in Christ himself.”

John Paul II. On the Dignity and Vocation of Women Art.15

St. Edith Stein asserted that women’s gifts include concern for the person and their development. This applies to every sphere and vocation.

So, to better guide and nurture others’ development, we need to first give some attention to our own by examining the steps of the beatitudes as they apply to us.

She craves for an unhampered development of her personality just as much as she does to help another toward that same goal.

St. Edith Stein. Woman.

The Beatitudes Step by Step     

  1. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
  • Poverty includes dependence and vulnerability: Awareness of our need for God as His creatures and as His Children
  • Acknowledging our limitations: physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. Asking for God’s help and asking for the help of others
  • Allowing God to work in His own time according to His Wisdom as our Father
“God’s response is certain, but it can’t be foreseen or programmed. Patience and sorrow have their place, but in the end even they are positive in that they perform a hidden work, create a desire, prepare an interior space for embracing the compensatory reward when it finally comes… God’s response will be so much more beautiful and rich when the wait has been long and trying. Among other things, interior poverty leads us to consent to the experience of not being masters of our time, unable to manipulate God or oblige Him to enter into our expectations or plans. His intervention remains free and sovereign, unforeseen. Having mastery of a time frame carries with it enormous human security and makes waiting easier. But there is no time frame into which God can be forced…The poverty of not being masters of our own time is hard to bear, but it calls us to a purer hope, one without human support. Little by little it engenders patience, humility, meekness, creating the desire that one day will bring fulfillment beyond all expectations.”

Jacques Philippe The Eight Doors of the Kingdom: Meditations on the Beatitudes
  • Instead of trying to be super-women, allowing ourselves to be daughters of God. This will then free us to become the best version of ourselves.
  1. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted
  • Realizing our limitations and gaining self-knowledge through poverty of spirit, we mourn over our own sinfulness but in a way that motivates change
  • Example: Friend telling me about how she hated family trips because her mom was so stressed out packing up – realizing that was me!

(go back to poverty of spirit – needed to acknowledge my limitations and ask for grace)

  • Seeing more of God’s blessings in my life, and mourning my sins as foolish or ungrateful
  1. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the land
    • Trust in God during difficulties and trials
    • The more we surrender our weakness to God, the more He conquers in us and it grows loyalty and Holy Confidence.
    • Meekness is not weakness. It’s a brave, fierce, strength founded on the proven character of God. Confident that Christ will walk with you and His grace will transform you.
St. Paul: But [the Lord] said to Me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
  1. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be satisfiedlittle flower.JPG
  • It gets exciting! Here’s the joy of the Gospel, the zeal to witness Christ’s deeds, to battle for His kingdom
  • Begin with prayer because you want to. Going to Mass because it’s a source of strength and peace. Reading the lives of saints because they inspire you and you want to be the best version of yourself.
  • Choose to be silent when tempted to detract; refrain from gossip
  • St Therese, “though I am little, I can still hope to be a saint”
  1. Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.
  • Having received mercy, you want to pay it forward
  • Forgiving others and bearing wrongs patiently – because God has done the same for you
  • Works of mercy because you realize your own dependence on God’s blessings and the help of others.
  • Examples:
    • I know what it’s like to be a perfectionist, so I want to help students overcome that slavery too
    • I know how easy it is to be overwhelmed as a mom, so I want to encourage other moms too
    • I appreciate the spiritual authors who have encouraged me, so I want to write what I can as well
    • My parents and teachers were patient with me while I was maturing, so I want to be patient with my kids and students as they mature
    • My husband is compassionate with my faults and quirks, so I want to cut him slack when I have the opportunity
  1. Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God
  • Love God above all things
  • The pure of heart aren’t distracted by illusions, they have come to recognize God in His works and they begin to see Him everywhere and in everything and every situation.
  • Purity of Heart à Sight of God à essence of Heaven’s joy
  1. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.
  • Deep peace from union with God
  • Extend that peace to others
  • How to be Peacemakers: Insights from St. Edith Stein
“Many of the best women are almost overwhelmed by the double burden of family duties and professional life – or often simply of only gainful employment. Always on the go, they are harassed, nervous, and irritable. Where are they to get the needed inner peace and cheerfulness in order to offer stability, support, and guidance to others?”

“Only by the power of grace… Whoever wants to preserve [divine]life continually within herself must nourish it constantly from the source whence it flows without end – from the holy sacraments, above all from the sacrament of love.”

“When we entrust all the troubles of our earthly existence confidently to the divine heart, we are relieved of them. Then our souls if free to participate in the divine life…it has a liberating power in itself; it lessens the weight of our earthly concerns and grants us a bit of eternity even in this finitude, a reflection of beatitude, a transformation into light.”
  1. Blessed are you when you are persecuted on my account, your reward is great in heaven.
  • Enduring criticism or exclusion because of living out your faith
  • Making sacrifices for your faith
  • It’s verification that you are living an authentically Christian life! You are a true disciple! Congrats!!!

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own.” (Jn 15: 18)

  • Examples/Sounds like this:
    • “Mom, you are the ONLY parent that…
    • C’mon, we’re just socializing. If you don’t participate in these jokes and gossip you’ll seem antisocial and won’t get ahead at work
  • G.K. Chesterton: “The Catholic Church hasn’t been tried and found wanting, it’s been found hard and left untried.” Living in Christ, He shines through you. You become a witness of the reality of grace. No one can say that the Church’s teachings are unrealistic, because you show that they can be done with grace. The lies of the world are exposed in your joy contrasted with their sadness.

Jesus steps for conversion lead to an experience of beatitude: the child-like freedom that comes from depending on God our loving Father, mourning our sins and surrendering them to His Son for redemption, the strength of conviction in our trust that the Holy Spirit will enable us to fulfill our mission, the mercy and peace we extend in our homes and workplaces which spur us on with zeal. Then we will be free for the total self-gift that results in self-fulfillment.

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©Angela M Jendro 2019

 

 

The Simple Truth – Love

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Love alone counts

by Angela (Lambert) Jendro

 November 3rd, 2018 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel of Mark 12:28B-34 NAB

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”  And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Meditation Reflection:

A couple of weeks into the school year, a new student of mine stopped by my room after the bell and asked, “How does a person become a saint?”.  As a religion teacher, my first thought went to if she was asking about the process of being canonized, but I stopped, thinking maybe she means on a more spiritual level – like the process of detachment from the world or the three stages of the spiritual life, then I stopped again as my mind jumped to other possibilities for the source of her question until I quit guessing in my mind altogether and simply said, “Why do you ask?  What is it you want to know?”

The Holy Spirit must have prompted me to ask instead of assume, because I never could have anticipated the beauty and simplicity of her answer.  In all sincerity, and with a beaming sweet smile on her face, she replied “because I want to be one!” “Ah” I said, “then it’s simple, love God with all your heart.”  “Really?!” she asked.  “Yep,” I said, that’s it.”

God, the Blessed Trinity, is a union of 3 Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He created human persons in His image as a union of persons in relationship of love with Him and with each other.  When we love God, we can’t help but love our neighbor whom we see as God’s image on earth and our brother or sister in Christ.

The answer is simple.  Jesus’ answer was simple.  It was the same command God had given in Deuteronomy over a thousand years before, and the mission He had given Adam and Eve at their creation.

We are the ones who make sainthood difficult.  We turn our eyes from the Beauty of God and prefer baser pleasures instead.  Because of our wounded nature, we worry that obedience to God will somehow restrict our freedom and deter us from our full potential.  This same self-assertion applies to our neighbor whom we view in light of our own pleasure or gain.  If he or she will add happiness or pleasure, we love them.  Otherwise, we tend to suspect them, like jealous siblings, worried that they will steal something from us, compete for the same resources and attention, or annoy us.

Thankfully, as we mature spiritually, we grow out of these childish concerns.  We understand that our Heavenly Father sets us high upon the rock in safety (Ps 27:5) fills our cup to overflowing (Ps 23), corrects the ones He loves as a Father does for His child (Proverbs3:12), and offers true freedom (John 8:32).  We also grow into a more adult relationship with our brothers and sisters in the Lord, realizing they are not a burden but a blessing. Moreover, filled with God’s love it necessarily overflows to others (cf 1 John 4:7)

Loving God means taking time for Him, in prayer and Scripture.  It means learning more about Him and deepening our understanding of His self-revelation.  It’s also the “simple raising of the heart and mind toward God” (CCC par. 2559) and the desires of love from deep within the soul.

As St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower, put it:

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy”

The Christian disciple follows the example of Christ, who modelled and taught the way of Love – prayer and sacrificial works of mercy. His prayer life was so deep, His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, upon which He gave them the Our Father.  His merciful actions were so numerous John states at the end of His Gospel that if everything He did was written down, the whole world could not contain it (John 21:25).

Everyone searches for the key to happiness.  It’s simple, Love the Lord with all your heart:

“Find your delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desire” (Psalm 37:4)

 Consider:

  • Ask God for the grace to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as Christ as loved you.
  • Reflect on Psalm 27:4 “One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: To dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life, To gaze on the LORD’s beauty, to visit his temple.”
  •  Imagine the people in your life – at work, in your neighborhood, driving on the highway, etc. – as your brother and sister.  What prayer might you have for them if they were family?  How might you see them more personally and with more compassion?
  • Consider this passage from St. Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue which describes how our hearts can be taken up, and on fire, with love for God. It is written from the perspective of God the Father speaking to her:
     No virtue can have life in it except from charity (love), and charity is nursed and mothered by humility.  You will find humility in the knowledge of yourself when you see that even your own existence comes not from yourself but from Me, for I loved you before you came into being.  And in My unspeakable love for you I willed to create you anew in grace.  So I washed you and made you a new creation in the blood that My only-begotten Son poured out with such burning love.

     This blood gives you knowledge of the truth when knowledge of yourself leads you to shed the cloud of selfish love.  There is no other way to know the truth.  In so knowing Me the soul catches fire with unspeakable love…”

Make a Resolution (Practical Application):

  • What sets your heart on fire with love for God?  Do that every day this week.
  • Pray one psalm a day, one chapter of a Gospel, or one chapter of Acts of the Apostles each day.
  • Choose someone from your daily life and imagine them as your brother or sister.  Pray for them by name and do something kind for them.

~ Written by Angela Jendro © 2018

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Have You Found What You’re Looking For?

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by Angela (Lambert) Jendro

 

Peter and andrew

January 14th, 2018 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel of John 1:35-42 NAB

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —, “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.

 Meditation Reflection:

Imagine what it must have been like for the apostles near the end of their lives, to remember back to the very beginning when they first met Jesus – before their zealous and arduous work as the leaders of Jesus’ Church, before they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, before Jesus’ astounding Resurrection, before His shocking suffering and death, before witnessing in amazement His teaching and miracles.  Back when they lived ordinary lives, as ordinary men, waiting upon the Lord in His silence.

The Lord had spoken to His People through prophets since His first revelation to Abraham.  They had enjoyed ongoing relationship with Him, even when they experienced the pain of God’s discipline.  Eventually however, their obstinacy toward God grew so hardened that it caused God to withdraw His immanent presence from the Temple. Without God’s help the people fell captive to foreign nations and lived in exile.

Years later, King Cyrus of Persia issued an edict allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and even contributed funds to aid in the rebuilding of the Temple which had been destroyed.  Eventually some returned to Jerusalem, but God’s divine and immanent presence (which had remained upon the Ark of the Covenant from their time in the desert during the Exodus through its housing in the Temple until the Babylonian Exile), did not return to the Temple.  Although God anointed prophets to mediate His Word through this time, God then remained silent for about 400 years leading up to the Incarnation of Christ.

In consequence, the Jews endured about 400 years of divine silence.  During that time they clung to the words of God’s earlier prophets and to His Law given through Moses.  They considered God’s promises and kept hope that one day He, who is always faithful, would fulfill them.

At long last, their hope for God’s Word and for renewed relationship enlivened with anticipation when John the Baptist appeared, as “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Mark 1:3; Isaiah 40:3).

The long silence finally broken and the power of John’s prophecy excited some to speculate whether John was in fact the Messiah.

Both Messiah and Christ mean “anointed one.”  In the Old Testament, those God had appointed as either priest, prophet, or king would be anointed with oil.  Each were called in some way to mediate between God and the People, and were bestowed with a measure of God’s authority.

The priesthood of the Old Covenant foreshadowed the eternal priesthood of Jesus, who would offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.  The prophets mediated God’s word, preparing us for the incarnation of the Word of God, and later the indwelling of that Word in our souls through Baptism.  Finally, the role of king was to govern the people as a steward of God who is the true king.  Jesus came as king to reign not as a steward, but with the authority of God.

“All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” Mark 1:27

 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Mark 2:7

John the Baptist answered the Messianic speculation directly, stating, “I am not the Messiah” (John 1:20). He too was waiting patiently upon the Lord.  He faithfully preached repentance, as God had asked of him, and baptized with water as a sign of readiness.

Finally, the Holy Spirit revealed the Messiah to John – it was Jesus.  There, waiting expectantly, were St. Andrew and another disciple of John. Upon hearing his prophetic declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God,” they began following Jesus immediately, apparently without even saying a word.  When Jesus turned to ask them what they wanted, they expressed their desire to remain with Him.  They accepted Jesus’ invitation to come, and in their encounter with the Person of Jesus, determined with conviction that He was in fact the Messiah.  In consequence, Andrew hurried to his brother to share the unbelievable news.

Their day probably began like every other day.  Breakfast, work, prayer, routine.  In that moment however, they dropped everything to find Jesus.

Everything had changed.

In that first encounter, Jesus called Simon by name, and gave him a new name indicating his new role in the New Covenant. Simon would leave the normalcy of the life he knew, to be Peter, “Rock”, upon which Christ would build His Church.  Imagine the trust he must have had in the Lord to persevere in his discipleship through so many changes, so much confusion, and so much responsibility.

So much took place over the course of their lives, but it all began with dropping what they were doing when the time came, and going to find the Messiah.

We are all searching and waiting –  for meaning, for purpose, and for happiness.  We go about our everyday, on the lookout for the answer to come.  Yet, Christ has come.  He is what we have been looking for, even if we couldn’t put a name to it like the Jews.  Praise be to God!

The Anointed One has come.  He heals wounds of sin and strengthens us with grace through His sacrifice on the Cross, poured out for us in the Sacraments.

Jesus is the Word of God, who reveals God’s plan for our lives, our purpose, and His constant care.

Jesus is king.  We enter His kingdom through Baptism and must work to allow His rule over our lives daily.  Through our adoption as sons and daughters of God, He makes us rich as heirs of heaven.

“We have found the Messiah.”  There’s no more need to search, only to follow; to say yes to Jesus’ invitation “Come, and you will see.”

Christianity is not a consumer product, a happy drug, an interesting philosophy, or a social club.  Christianity is following Christ, the Anointed One of God, and staying with Him. None of us can imagine where it will lead, only follow one step at a time, waiting during times of silence, and acting when He calls our name.  Where it leads only the Lord knows, but it will certainly be an adventure and full of surprises.

Consider:

  • Spend a few minutes in silent prayer, just being in the presence of Christ.
  • When have you felt excitement about your faith like the apostles?
  • How has encountering Christ transformed you? In what ways has it changed the way you think, guided your actions, or changed your desires and priorities?
  • Prayerfully consider what mission Christ has for you.

Make a Resolution (Practical Application):

  • Take one step toward Christ every day. Follow Him in Scripture reading, works of love, or the sacraments.
  • Take 5 minutes of silence to rest in the Lord.

 

~ Written by Angela Jendro © 2018

* To receive these weekly posts automatically in your email just click the “follow” tab in the bottom right hand corner and enter your email address.

 

 

Keeping it Simple and Keeping it Real

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by Angela (Lambert) Jendro

 

 

October 29th, 2017 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel of Matthew 22:32-40 NAB

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Meditation Reflection:

St. John tells us that “God is Love” (I John 4:8).  He actively loves you and I at every moment.  He created the world out of nothing to be a home for humankind and continues to hold all things in existence and guide them by His divine providence. He created each of our souls at the moment of our conception.  The Second Person of the Trinity even became man, suffered, and died for our Redemption after we sinned so we could become new creations by grace.  Even before creation however, He was Love.  In His very essence God is a union of three divine Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  His very nature is an eternal relationship of love.

Moreover, Genesis reveals that God’s love is so great He made humankind in His image to participate in His love. Thus the God who is love, created us to also be love. In the first creation account He created man and woman at the same time, that they too might be a union of persons, capable of love and creativity like God.

“God created mankind in His image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply.” Genesis 1:27-28

In the second Genesis account God created man first but he felt alone and unfulfilled.  There was no suitable partner for him among all of God’s animals.  Why?  Aren’t dogs and cats adorable?  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy God-given reign over all of creation without having to share it with anyone? Adam had water front property, lush gardens, and plenty of food.  He had everything a single person could desire – power, pleasure, abundance, security, and was surrounded by affectionate pets.  Why was he unhappy?

“The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.” Genesis 2:18

Made in the image of God, Adam could only find fulfillment through being a union of persons.  Together Adam and Eve could unite both body and soul.  They could know one another, choose one another, and love one another, both spiritually and physically.

In the Beginning, living in God’s image was simple and joy-filled.  Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden.  Their work was without toil and they rested each Sabbath to worship God and rejoice in gratitude.  As Pope Benedict XVI explains:

“In the creation account the sabbath is depicted as the day when the human being, in the freedom of worship, participates in God’s freedom, in God’s rest, and thus in God’s peace.” (In the Beginning…A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall, 1990)

Things only get complicated after the Fall, that first dreadful sin.  God is a realist.  He made everything according to a rational order and taught Adam and Eve those laws so they might be safe and flourish.  In their moment of temptation however, they rebelled in pride, chasing the illusion that they could be the creators of reality rather than creatures already a part of reality.  Yet, the truth is always true.  God said their choice would bring death, the serpent said it wouldn’t, and Adam and Eve chose based on their senses – “it seemed good and looked delightful.”  They chose against God and they found He was right – death entered the world.

It’s easy to point the finger at their foolishness, but consider our own common teenage rebellions.  Despite the love and trustworthy guidance of good parents, how often do teens think to themselves, “I know more than mom and dad.  I’m going to do this my way and ignore their rules,” only to find themselves suffering the results their parents had warned them of?

When have you thought the same thing about God’s guidance?  God guides us through the natural law, Scriptures, and the Church.  Yet, we still struggle with the tempting thought that what we feel like doing is better than what we ought to do.  Again and again, we suffer when our feelings prove illusory and God’s guidance true.

People will often say, “The Church isn’t realistic.  It needs to get with the times.”  Abstinence for unmarried persons instead of birth control? Fantasy.  Truthfulness at work?  You’ll never get ahead.  Children instead of pets?  Maybe one or two, but beyond that will be misery.  Church every Sunday?  That’s excessive.  Resting on Sunday?  Who will get all the work done?

Yet, the truth remains the truth.  Our illusions do not change reality.  We chase where our impulses lead only to find ourselves depressed and unhappy.

Happiness is simple.  It means being a real realist. It means living as a human person not something else you or the culture imagines.  It may not be easy, but God gives us grace to live in His truth.

God’s laws only become complicated inasmuch as we make them complicated.  In my classroom I have a mini basketball and hoop for kids to play during passing time.  I begin the year with two rules: when the bell rings the ball gets put away, and no blood (I don’t want kids getting hurt and there’s a reason I’m a teacher and not a doctor or nurse).  Some classes get it and those are the only two rules that I ever need.  They have a little fun and our class begins on a positive note.  Others overcomplicate things.  They start fighting over the ball, becoming overly rough or competitive, launching it over people’s heads, or they keep trying to shoot the ball into its rightful place despite missing many times.  In consequence, they force me to make more rules to ensure that my basic two are met and what began as simple fun becomes a frustration.

Jesus teaches that God really only has two rules as well.  If we simply love God with our whole self – heart, mind, and soul, everything else falls into place.  Living in union with God we find our true selves and the source of all happiness.  From our free relationship of love with God, we then seek to love others, His image among us.  Through self-gift and loving relationship, we find self-fulfillment and deep joy because we are living in reality, feeding on real food and journeying toward our real end.

All the other rules are in response to the myriad of ways we violate the basic two.  If we loved God first then our neighbor, we would have the common sense to do the other things as well.  If I love God, I’m going to spend Sunday with Him.  If I love my neighbor, I’m not going to lie or cheat him, and if I see him in need I will want to help.

Developing Christian common sense may take time, depending on your past formation or experiences.  Jesus knows our brokenness, blindness, and weakness.  He came to be our Healer, the true Light to guide us, and the source of Strength to transform us.  Love has a mysterious and beautiful power to melt away sadness and hurt, and fill us with joy.  You might begin by needing a rule to go to Mass on Sunday, but once you experience the touch of Christ’s love, you will find it a gift instead.

Consider:

  • When have you experienced God’s love – through another person, in prayer, or at Mass?
  • When has God’s truth been a sure guide for you during a confusing time?
  • Which laws of God, either through Scripture or the Church, do you find most difficult to accept or to live out?
  • How has God’s grace enabled you to live virtuously or love at a level you couldn’t have imagined before?
  • How might you love God more?  What areas of your heart, mind, soul, or strength do you still withhold from him?  Is there a teaching of Christ you struggle to accept?  Is there someone you find difficult to give generously of your heart to? Do you spend Sunday with the Lord and family or use your strength for more work instead? Do you spend time thanking God and being in His presence, or do you love something else more?
  • Reflect on Mary’s perfect love exemplified by her simple Yes at every moment.

Make a Resolution (Practical Application):

  • Each day this week give God more of your heart, mind, or strength.  Ask Him to increase your love for Him in each of these areas then do one concrete thing a day to act on that love.
  •               Ideas:
    • To love God more with your mind spend 5 more minutes a day with Scripture, listen to Christian podcasts or radio, learn about the faith at your parish or by reading a spiritual book.
    • To love God more with your heart, increase your affection for Him by making a gratitude list, praying a Psalm  (especially 23, 27, 119, or 139), meditating on the rosary, or attending a daily Mass.
    • To love God more with your strength, do something of service for someone in need.  Care for someone who is sick, help out a co-worker who is swamped, volunteer to help at your church by taking care of the building or grounds or by helping with the service as a greeter or usher.   Most importantly, resolve to avoid servile work on Sunday and instead play with your kids or go visit a friend.

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~ Written by Angela Jendro © 2017

* To receive these weekly posts automatically in your email just click the “follow” tab in the bottom right hand corner and enter your email address.