![]() During the many years that I taught high school students, I observed a lot more than I let on while in the classroom. I did not have ‘eyes in the back of my head,’ but I did have quite a vantage point because I was standing while they were seated. I cannot claim that I saw absolutely everything, but I did notice a fair amount. Every now and then I would let them know that I saw much more than they thought I did, and that they should not take my lack of response as a lack of awareness. I had learned to choose whether or not to respond since not everything required a comment or to be brought to everyone’s attention. After all, they were teens doing what teens often do. While my choices were imperfect and sometimes the wrong ones, the Scriptures reveal that God’s choices, though mysterious, are always right and true because He has unfathomable wisdom and He sees all things. If we look to the Gospels we see that Jesus knew of the Pharisees intentions to thwart Him, especially when they attempted to trap Him in some conundrum concerning the Law. Yet He chose to respond to only some of these things, letting others go seemingly unnoticed. This is particularly true of their plot to kill Him. Jesus was so acutely aware of it that He predicted His death three times to His confused apostles. But when the time arrived, He let the Jewish authority and their soldiers arrest Him. Jesus went willingly and yet even as He was dying on the Cross, He chose not to respond, allowing them do what they had set out to do. ![]() As we enter into the last part of Lent, especially Holy Week, it is time to shift our focus more intently to the events of the Passion of the Lord. No matter which Gospel version we choose for our reflection, we will see that at some point Jesus became completely aware of what awaited Him in Jerusalem and went straightaway once He knew it was the right time. The apostles sensed His urgency, but they had a lack of understanding (combined with denial) over what would occur. The intensity for Jesus, however, stemmed from being resolute in completing His mission (Luke 9:51) while experiencing all the human emotions that accompanied the knowledge that death was close. Yet throughout all the events of the last days of His life, Jesus allowed everything to happen, sometimes even pointing out that He could have stopped His enemies. For example, Matthew wrote that when Jesus was arrested in the Garden, He boldly stated that He could call upon the Father to send twelve legions of angels. But He let them take Him anyhow, accepting everything that followed. (Matthew 26:53-54) ![]() When evil things go on in our world, especially tragic events or the apparent triumph of injustices, it is important that we learn from the Passion that it is not possible for us to understand the ‘why’ of God’s seeming lack of response. God does see everything and is in total control, but His wisdom is far beyond ours. Even if He tried to explain it, we could not understand. (Job 38-40) Our world is presently quite a confusing and even dangerous place, especially with society’s dismissal of the moral teaching and gospel values we hold dear as Christians. But we must trust that God is keenly aware of every little thing, down to ‘the number of hairs on our head.’ (Matthew 10:30) Therefore, the best thing we can do is to cling to Jesus no matter how little we comprehend. We can look to the Cross with confidence that God offers mercy and the needed graces to help us persevere, even when we can barely put one foot in front of the other. We do not need to understand, but we do need to trust in Him. ![]() God knows the intentions of our hearts. We have little power over many things, but we can choose to cling to Him by living the gospel values Jesus taught. We can rely on His presence within the Christian community to which we belong. We can cling to Him in our prayer asking for wisdom, discernment, and whatever graces we need. He is always our hope and salvation. Remember, God is always active, pouring out His mercy and love upon those who approach Him. Everything happens for a reason quite often known to God alone, and when we join Him in Heaven, all will be revealed. Therefore, the wisest thing we can do is to turn to Jesus and hold on. His teaching offers everything we need to live and to share the Good News with others. ![]() This message may seem a bit dire, but it absolutely is not. Yes, we need to stay the course, and to do so we need God’s help, but the Good News is that on the other side of the Passion is the Resurrection. The suffering and death of Jesus has no meaning without His Resurrection, and thus on Easter morning the Resurrection puts everything into a perspective which is where our hope lies. We do have salvation, we will one day be with Him in Heaven and we will have clarity concerning God’s response to everything. It is the hope of the Resurrection to which we cling; it is this hope that keeps us going when things are most difficult. Let us cling to Jesus so that in dying with Him we will also rise with Him! May we have the courage to persevere through our own Lenten toil! May we come to see more clearly the love of Jesus that He would accept His suffering with silence and thus give meaning to ours! May we pray for the grace to choose wisely in uncertain times! And may we live in the hope of Jesus’ Resurrection! Let us meet in the Heart of Jesus! Peace! ©Michele L. Catanese Images: 1. Icon, Saviour of the Fiery Eye by Fr. William Hart McNichols. This is a reproduction of a 19th century Russian icon which depicts the merciful, loving presence of Christ. You can read about the original Russian version at https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/59503318_published-19th-c-russian-icon-savior-of-the-fiery-eye. To obtain a copy of the icon featured here (as written by Fr. Bill McNichols), you can go to fineartamerica.com/featured/saviour-of-the-fiery-eye-227-william-hart-mcnichols.html. 2. My photo of the original fresco of Jesus looking directly in the eyes of Judas during the arrest in the Garden, painted by Giotto. It is one of the frescos on the walls of the famous Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. 3. My photo, close up of a beautiful bird, taken in the Black Hills of South Dakota. You can almost count the 'hairs' of his head. (Jesus references the birds of the air in the Sermon on the Mt. a few chapters previous to the quote I mentioned above.) 4. Painting, Composition, 1959, by Mark Rothko. It struck me as symbolic of the darkness with which we struggle, and the hope of life and resurrection which is just out of view now, but is present nonetheless. More on this work can be found at https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-mark-rothko-artist 5. My photo, a sunrise in my neighborhood. Sunrise, the ultimate sign of hope! NOTE: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. ![]() During Lent being ‘all in’ with abstinence and fasting, works of mercy, and almsgiving seems to be something many will embrace. However, there is one aspect that is integral to Lent that some of us try to rationalize away or even ignore: penitence. It isn’t that we do not know we have sinned and that we need to do better, but rather the problem is that we do know and it embarrasses us. For some it is often easier to volunteer many hours in a ministry than it is to spend 10 minutes in the confessional. Perhaps it is because the awareness that we have sinned brings fear, as if admitting sin somehow makes us less worthy of being loved by God. Let us be reminded that we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to unburden ourselves and to receive grace, a gift our loving God longs to give. And second, God does not desire to punish us; rather, He wants to heal us so that we might be closer to Him. However, I think the underlying reason for aversion to the Sacrament of Reconciliation might be the result of a misunderstanding. That is, we confuse contrition with shame; we are ashamed of our sins and as a result we do not like admitting to them. But we should never fear or be ashamed of coming before our God of boundless mercy and never-ending love. Remember, God sent Jesus as the ultimate gift of love in order to reconcile us to Himself. And this is precisely why we should not be ashamed to claim His mercy with joy. ![]() In our present society shame is quite prevalent. It is a weapon used by those of us who have unwittingly (or wittingly) given in to the culture of contempt into which it is deeply engrained and has become part of our ‘daily diet.’ Instead of discourse and debate, we attempt to ‘win’ arguments and make a point by shaming the other into submission. Shaming others is truly the opposite of loving our neighbors (which includes our enemies): Jesus commanded us to love everyone, not just those who share our views. Sadly, we all have been shamed at some point, and probably multiple times throughout our life. It is the worst thing we can do to one another, and the scars left by shaming can stay with us forever. This is why it is so disturbing that it has become commonplace and acceptable to direct shame at those with whom we disagree or find disagreeable. ![]() Because of this culture, we have begun to confuse contrition with shame, resulting in distaste for a beautiful Sacrament intended for healing. Shame is quite powerful and it keeps us from asking for the mercy that God is waiting to give us; therefore, we must never think our shame is desired by God. Notice how Jesus never shamed the sinners He encountered, most notably the woman caught in adultery. (John 8:1-11) He offered her the opportunity to express contrition and forgave her. Shame, which was what the Pharisees were leveling on the woman, ushers in a temptation to believe that we are beyond healing, beyond redemption, and beyond being loved. It also contributes to a lack of self-love, a denial that God loves us ‘no matter what,’ (see Romans 8:31-39), and it inevitably tears us down. Contrition, on the other hand is deep sorrow for our sins with a desire to change, acknowledging that we need God’s grace. Instead of driving us away from God, contrition moves us toward Him, and through it, we actually grow holier. Contrition builds us up as we humbly accept that despite our brokenness, we are deeply loved; thus, we seek God with greater desire while learning a bit more of how to love as He loves. ![]() People avoid going to the Sacrament because they have accepted the lie that admitting our sins is something shameful. Even the worst of our sins, the basest and lowest sins, can be offered to God for healing: in the Sacrament we offer the wreckage of our sins to God as the only gift we have to offer. Where we see ashes, He sees the beautiful gift of the love and trust it takes to offer ourselves to Him, humbly seeking to be made clean. No one really enjoys talking about their weaknesses and errors, but as the words tumble out of our mouths, God welcomes us home with prodigal love. We are that wayward child welcomed home to the feast with the fatted calf and the ring put on our finger. Our sorrow for sin and our desire for reconciliation bring God joy, not anger. He rejoices over a lost sinner who has found his or her way home again. ![]() To better understand contrition and God’s mercy, read and reflect upon Luke 15. It contains three parables, one about a lost sheep, one about a lost coin, and finally the one about the wayward son who was lost and found again, (sometimes referred to as the Prodigal Son.)* After reading these parables, ask for the grace to overcome shame and to be moved instead to contrition. Imagine God rejoicing over the healing reconciliation you share with Him. Then plan to partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent and go do it so that you can come face to face and heart to heart with God who will “sing joyfully over you as one sings at festivals.” (Zephaniah 3:14-20) Indeed, let us claim His mercy and forgiveness with joy! May we put aside shame and instead have a contrite heart so that we may be reconciled anew with God! May we come to see the beauty of God’s tender mercy when we confess our sins and accept His love! And may we be an example of the Christian virtue of love through our efforts to build others up rather than to break them down! Let us meet in the merciful heart of Jesus! Peace! ©Michele L. Catanese * The prodigal in the parable is the father, not the son. Somehow over the years it has been mislabeled, so to speak. Dictionary.com defines prodigal as "wastefully or recklessly extravagant," "giving or yielding profusely, very generous; lavish," and finally, "lavishly abundant." All of these are exemplified in the behavior of the father and each of these describes the way God loves us. You might want to reflect upon God as recklessly extravagant in His love for you! Beautiful! Images: 1. Icon, Jesus Christ Holy Forgiveness, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. You can find this at fineartamerica.com/featured/jesus-christ-holy-forgiveness-040-william-hart-mcnichols.html 2. My photo, taken in Big Bend, Texas. I chose this because shame tends to isolate us, symbolized here by the lone flower separated from the others. 3. My photo of the original painting Pine Trees, by Vincent Van Gogh. This was painted while Van Gogh was in an asylum, a place associated with shame by those who are not understanding of mental illness. Where Van Gogh was does not change the beauty of the painting or of the man painting it. 4. Clip Art: Sacrament of Reconciliation. 5. Painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son by James Tissot. The original is in the Brooklyn Museum. NOTE: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. |
Heart Speaks to Heart
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