Free Will

God is love.

                     1 John 4:8

Free will is one of life's great mysteries. We look at the violence, greed, and destruction men choose to do as an exercise of their freedom to choose, and it is tempting to ask What was God thinking when he gave us free will? We could start with the cross, evil doing its level best to suppress supreme Good, and scratch our heads. What is it Jesus meant when he said, "Be it done according to Your will..." What did the Father demand? That He not interfere with the free will of men, and look at the result. Couldn't he have come up with a better plan?

No. the reason is, that God is love. Let me explain.

God by his very nature, we are taught, is love. In Deus Carita Est Benedict XVI beautifully expounds on Eros as it applies to God — the fundamental drive to be united with the other. God loves us. He longs for us. He desires to be united to us. Here's the catch: unity that is forced is not love. It may be submissive correctness. It may involve rule keeping and orthodoxy, but it is not love. Love requires choice. He doesn't want us as poor submissive creatures. He desires union through love. He wants US to choose HIM. Faith is a personal choice, a relationship with another.

Historically, the Church has gotten into trouble when it lost the simple fact that our faith is about relationship, about love, and about choice, and it has allowed itself to be seduced by the methods of this world. That is to say it has chosen power, force, and the hammer of law over love. The obvious examples are the Spanish Inquisition and the crusades, but there are thousands of others in the lives of each of us.

We find ourselves at yet another historical crisis, with the secular world moving farther and farther from God and his call for sacrificial love and the Church slipping into a crisis rooted in the abuse of power at the same time. The tragic stories of sexual abuse by those with power perpetrated on those without it, primarily children, is devastating. The behavior of bishops who've placed the church's perks, privileges, revenue, and prestige above care for victims is far more destructive, undermining as it does the faith of thousands and eroding the moral authority of the clergy to an all-time low. These acts are possible only when presbyters forget that faith is about our relationship with God, not about the exercise of office.

George Bernanos wrote that those who would reform the church must turn aside from solutions learned from politics or business—the things of this world—and look to Saint Francis, who responded to God's call to rebuild his church with humility and poverty, with love. We would do well to think about that when we're tempted to argue about Liberal and Conservative, about celibacy and homosexuality, about putting our will ahead of the Beloved.

The Sacred Heart

No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

John 1:18

Perhaps it is a distaste for the iconography, but when I was younger I was at best unimpressed with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Some of the more anatomical renderings or prayers were big time turn offs.

I've opened myself a bit more to it, realizing the devotion has its roots in the need to pull God close, to remember that Jesus, while fully God and in majesty at the right had of the Father, is fully human. As such his heart knows sadness, disappointment, grief but above all love and yearning, the very human manifestation of the fundamental nature of God. The Sacred Heart is one way of portraying the aspect of Jesus who is always knocking, always calling, always thirsting for our love.

I found a litany in a copy of June's Magificat this morning in the chapel that spelled that out beautifully with none of the treacly Victorian sentamentality that turned me off in the past. With those ideas in my heart and mind I rode home in the car, and I had a odd thought. Janis Joplin was blaring from my speakers and it occurred to me I could put her cry of the heart in His mouth addressing it to me, calling me to Himself.

You're out on the streets looking good

And baby deep down in your heart I guess you know that it ain't right

Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night

But each time I tell myself that I, well I can't stand the pain

But when you hold me in your arms, I'll sing it once again

I'll say come on, come on, come on, come on and take it

Take another little piece of my heart now, baby

Oh, oh, break it

Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah

Oh, oh, have a

Have another little piece of my heart now, baby

Well you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good

That image probably won't be many people's cup of tea, but I could hear it. Art is in the ear of the listener sometimes.

The State

Render to Caesar what is Caesars and give to God what is God's.
                                                                               Mark 12:17


When this is quoted, people often leave off the question and give it as an example of Jesus's wisdom—sometimes it is simply cited as an example of cleverness.

The question before it is interesting: Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Romans or not? By "lawful" they meant under Jewish law of course. The question is an example of religious scrupulosity and legalism being wielded as a weapon against the Lord who spoke over the top of the details of law most of his earthly life. Standing against that was the state, Roman law and the hammer of Roman power to enforce it.

I was thinking about that moment this morning when I read about the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Masterpiece cakes vs a gay couple who wanted a custom cake. Do all Americans have the right to buy cake? Arguably they do. Does a baker have the right to refuse the bake one with an explicit message contrary to his beliefs? Arguably he does. This particular case resolved very little, aside from the courts demand that both sets of rights be respected and weighed fairly in lower court rulings.

It begs the question, what would Jesus have said? The Caesar side of this equation is the equal civil rights of all Americans under civil law. All citizens should have equal access to tax breaks, provision of health benefits and other benefits historically offered only to married couples. They have the right under civil law to form relationships as they see fit and to obtain those benefits. In a democratic state we must all be treated equally—and yes, I know, many groups struggle to make that a reality.

The God side of this equation is the Church's teaching on sex and marriage and how believers live their lives. The church has the right to define marriage, especially sacramental marriage, and to teach its members how to live their lives. It should not be forced to perform ceremonies in violation of its teaching or to place children for adoption/foster care in homes that don't reflect its own values.

The courts will need the wisdom of Solomon—or of Jesus—as they sort through this tangle, and sort it they will eventually.  In reviewing Mark 12 I noticed something else interesting. A few verses below this one Jesus quotes Leviticus giving us the two great commandments. Both have been under siege in public discourse in recent years. I pray we as people of faith remember them.

Corpus Christi

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be,

passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle

not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,

he entered once for all into the sanctuary

Hebrews 9:11

Once for all. The great mystery of the Mass is that every time—every time—we stand at the foot of the cross and enter into the passion. Does it mean it occurs over and over? No! God's time isn't our time. We enter into the saving act which occurred once for all and the "greater and more perfect tabernacle," as opposed to the Holy of Holies in the massive temple in Jerusalem.I think I'll just let that one settle in for a while and see how much of it I can fully grasp.

Vines

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.         John 15:5

In many ways, this is the quintessential Easter text. Life for those of us connected to the vine.  The abiding part is fairly easy. It is a warm fuzzy sort of text. God's life is in me!

Remembering that last bit, however, is the tough part. We can do what? Nothing. All our work means nothing unless we do it with Him. A good marriage? Not without God at the center. Our efforts at spiritual life? Nada. Prayer? Don't even go there.


Most mornings I wake up with a prayer and remember the day belongs to God. Most. Not all. Evenings are another story. By about mid-afternoon (if not before) I'm running on my own power...which means running on empty. If it is a good day, I circle back around and tap in before I got to bed.

In this effort, as in all things, I need His help because I can do nothing.

Killing is Killing

Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
                                        1 John 3:15

I live in a political desert that lies between warring armies in the battle between life and death. There are no innocent parties, me included. They whole of life is a precious gift from God and we are all obliged to protect it.

Killing is killing. Death is death. On one side are the gun lobbies. They run the extreme from responsible gun owners (I'm related to many) to the rabid gun promoters. That last group includes the masses genuinely persuaded that "liberals" plan to take their precious guns to which God entitles them to the cynical bloodsucking NRA and firearms industry people growing fat off the firearms that have flooded the U.S. To those who believe the second amendment is about (or only about) some individual freedom and that "the genie is already out of the bottle" regarding the numbers of firearms out there—and therefore nothing can change—I say (with the Parkland Kids) BS. The community has a right to defend itself from without and within. We can enact federally mandated universal background checks tomorrow to weed out the unstable, mentally ill and terrorists. We can make all bumpstockj illegal. Those two would be a good start while we sort out what else we want. We can behave in ways that prevent mass killings.

Here's the odd part. Folks in the pro-gun camp often—in the case of the most extreme, almost always—claim to be "pro-life." What they really mean is they are anti-abortion, often in a way that masks as anti-women's rights. The far right also attacks universal health care and assistance to poor mothers. The whole of life is a precious gift of God. You can't have it both ways.

Killing is killing. Death is death. On the other side is the pro-choice movement. They run the extreme from those who know there is a line, a point at which the taking of human life is bad, to rabid pro-choice people who believe any legislation to regulate the abortion industry is an affront to their God give right to do what they please with their bodies. Women do have an absolute right to control what happens to their bodies. I have no doubt about that. At least they do up to the point of conception. At that point the woman is not the only person whose right must be considered because the rights of another human being are at stake—at least half of them future women. The point at which a fetus becomes that other human being has been debated, but to argue for late term abortion when the unborn child is fully formed, viable and moving is to argue for legalized infanticide. I personally have never found a point in prenatal development in which a radical becoming human event occurs except conception. The pro-life political movement has taken a hard line all or nothing demand for making all abortion a crime as their platform. I would argue for laws that slow the rush to abort as a cheap, freely available method of birth control. We can enact laws the value women's health, and provide the resources they need to provide for themselves and their children. We can focus on income equality. We can support community health centers that support the whole gamut of women's health. We can behave in ways that prevent abortion.

Here's the odd part. Folks who are rabidly pro-choice and defend the need for ubiquitous easy, freely available abortion are often anti-gun rights. I don't get it. The far left defends universal health care and income equality, but rigidly defends the right to terminate life in the womb. The whole of life is a precious gift of God. you can't have it both ways.

The signs we live in a culture of death are all around us: teen suicide, violent movies and video, the sheer proliferation of guns in our homes/streets, the high price of needed medication, the acceptance of abortion as an option in all pregnancy, inequality in access to health care, execution of criminals, advocacy for assisted suicide an euthanasia. I think on some level almost all of us are culpable. However, I think there may be a special place in Hell for some:

• Those who grow rich on the manufacture, sale, and lobbying for the firearms that flood our streets. 
• Those who make abortion a for-profit business, or even use it to fund their so-call non-profit operation. 
• Pharmaceutical company executives who grow rich manipulating prices and patents to keep the prices of their drugs high at the expense of the ill, the elderly and the poor. 
• Those who mock young people traumatized by violence. 
• Politicians who care more about reelection and fundraising than the death of young people, who value their position more than their ethics. 

Killing is killing and death is death. God forgive us all.

Life in the Midst of Winter

 Christ will be exalted in my body,whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
                                        Philippians 1:20-21

That is one of the few bits of scripture I know by heart in both English and Latin. Why then do I forget it so often?

I have wandered into yet another patch in which prayer has become one more thing to check of my list of tasks, and Mass one of the obligations I faithfully carry out.  When this happens I become a creature of the religion and the law, as Paul viewed it. Only life in Christ gives Lauds meaning. Only life in Christ gives the Mass its power and glory. I walk with a person, not a set of rules and I forget that at my peril.

The Inner Light

 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
                                                                             1John:1:5

I've been reading about Quakers for my most recent book, and I have become enamored with the concept of inner light.

As a Roman Catholic, I value the structure of the church around me. In spite of eras of weak leadership, worldly popes, and/or men corrupted by power (and lack women's influence), having a center has generally kept us from splintering and from wandering into the extreme fringes of religious practice. Over the long haul of history, we get pulled back to center. Visionaries enrich the church; fanatics lead us over the cliff. Only time (and God's own judgment) sorts the wheat from the chaff.

That said, I've always believed each individual needed to listen to the work of the Holy Spirit in them, calling them to l rest in God as they go about their daily work. On days I remember to listen, my life goes well and my writing does too. On days I don't, I go to bed irritable, frustrated, and quarrelsome. What is that if not the inner light?

I trust the work of the Spirit in myself and those I love. I also view with caution the tendency of each of us to let ego and our need for control mistake "inner light" for "my desire." The only cure for that is humility and that, my friends is a life-long battle. Having the discipline of church, even if we don't always like what it says, helps with that.