It's a Life

"He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, 'Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.'" - Mark 8:34-35

I don't usually remember my dreams - I chalk it up to a combination of children awake in the middle of the night and not going to bed when I should. So when I do have dreams that I remember, I always try to pay attention to them. Not that I believe I'm fortunate enough to be spoken to in dreams, but as a way to figure out what my mind is chewing on during it's idle time.

Last night, I had a dream I remembered. It was very short, and quite depressing. I was near the end of my life (for some unknown reason), and I was reflecting on what a hopeless situation it was. I knew my end was near, and there was nothing I could do about it. I spent the entirety of my dream feeling sad and alone, which meant I woke up feeling the same way (maybe that's why I don't dream).

I felt that way until I had awaken a bit more, and remembered that, no matter what, there's someone waiting for me when I pass on. That I don't have to feel sad, depressed or alone, because I believe in Jesus, and that he will lead me on when my time comes.

And I think that's half of what Jesus is talking about at the end of these verses - that if you follow him, you have no reason to worry about losing your life. But there's another angle taken here - one that has less to do with the final moments of a life, and more to do with the days, weeks, months and years leading up to that moment. That the choices we make - which define the life that we lead - are what count. That we have to be willing to give up our old lives and take up a new one following Jesus's words. And if we do that - if we're willing to sacrifice those days, weeks, months and years, we have nothing to fear when our physical life ends. Because, by doing so, we live a life that can harmlessly pass this to the next - and we know what awaits us.

It's a tough thing to do - certainly one that I've failed at numerous times. But by trying to life in that new life every day, we strengthen our life with God. Forever.

 

Yo, Teach!

"Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that I am?' They said in reply, 'John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.' " - Mark 8:27-28

In two weeks, I will be standing in front of a class of 17 second graders, in an attempt to teach them about the Catholic faith, get them ready for their first reconciliation and their first communion. 

Yes, take that in for a second. Seventeen 7-8 year-olds. 

And while I'm both excited and extremely nervous about this, I've also been trying to think about how, exactly, I share my faith with a seven year old. I make some assumptions in this blog - that, if you're reading it, you're pretty good at navigating the web, that you have an interest in the practice of Lectio Divina, and/or you're related to me. But I can't exactly share my faith the same way I do here as I will with kids. It's going to take a different kind of approach - one that may include crayons, songs and Play-Dough.

When I first read these verses, I was thinking of a completely different reflection on them - that Jesus was trying to figure out his "status" within the people of his time. But as I started thinking about it more, I saw parallels to my upcoming adventure. I started thinking about why Jesus wanted to know, rather than what he was asking. By this time, Jesus has been doing signs and wonders, all while preaching about God and fulfilling his mission. And he's asking his disciples to see if what he's doing is working - if his approach is successful. And by their reply ('John the Baptist, Elijah, etc'), the people of his time aren't quite there. They need additional instruction in a different way to help them understand and believe in Jesus and his message. A demonstration that will culminate in the death and resurrection of his life. 

While I won't go to the extremes that Jesus did, I still take this reflection and message to heart - that, by taking different approaches in sharing my faith, not only will I be helping others understand what I believe, but I too will grow in how I see the world through Christ.

What?

"And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, 'Ephphatha!' (that is, 'Be opened!') And the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. " - Mark 7:32-35

My wife will sometimes accuse me (rightfully so I must admit) that I have selective hearing. I blame genetics - for I come from a long line of selective hearers. And while I sometimes legitimately don't hear everything she says - it's more often than not that my selective hearing is because I hear - but don't listen - to what she's telling me. This event is usually followed up with apologies and swift action to correct the situation... that is, until it happens again. Sorry honey. :)

When I read this passage, I wonder if the deaf man (and the crowd) are part of the group that ends up leaving Jesus after awhile. That they too suffer from selective hearing - sure the deaf man can now hear the words of Jesus - but will he listen to him, as God commanded us to during the Transfiguration? Will they listen to his words, or simply stand in awe of his actions? Unfortunately, for many, they will simply look at the actions and, when confronted with the profound Truth Jesus tries to impart on them, decide it's too much and walk away.

It's unfortunate, but yet we can take a lesson from it - that we need to listen - as much as we hear - Jesus's words in our lives. That, when sitting at Church, reading our favorite blog (hint hint), or simply hearing a verse in passing we stop and listen to what those words have to say. What those words mean to us, to our present situation, to the lives we're currently leading, and continue to commit to following Christ.

Take it from a guy who has a bit of experience in this area - you miss out on some really good stuff if all you do is hear.

Superprayer

"So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, 'Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?' He responded, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition.' " - Mark 7:5-8

Whew - not so "little" on the Lectio Divina today! However, I thought including a little more of the context would help frame up the situation Jesus is dealing with here. As was noted in the last post, Jesus is talking with the Pharisees - the folks that pride themselves on following the law to the letter. The Pharisees continue to press Jesus on why his disciples aren't following the law as closely as they are. After all, if Jesus is the Messiah, certainly he and his disciples would be the model citizens for following God's law.

But here's where Jesus makes the point - that the minute details of the law that the Pharisees are "catching" him on are human doctrines - and that Isaiah prophesied about the Pharisees eight hundred years before then. His point isn't that following the Law is bad - but that focusing on following it to the letter - and ignoring its' intended purpose - has the opposite effect on their relationship with God.

And while this scene played out 2000 years ago, we as modern Christians can - and do - get caught up in focusing on the details rather than the purpose. We may focus on making sure we give a certain percent of our income, that our Church outfits are pristine, that we wear our Crucifix so all can see. Again - none of these things are bad, but if we focus too much on the act itself, rather than the reason behind the act - we too will get caught up in the details.

I know I do this quite a bit when reciting prayers I've known since I was little. I say the words, but forget to think about what those words really mean - whether it's at dinner time, bed time or during mass. They come so naturally now that it actually takes work to slow down, think about what I'm saying and - more importantly - why I'm saying it. But I find that, when I do slow down, I hear those words in the context of my life now, and find they still relate to who I am.

Taking it slow is the essence of Lectio Divina. To think about the words, what they mean to us, and how they reflect in our everyday lives. And Jesus is reminding us that there's so much more to God than rituals (though they have their place), and that we must try to grow in our relationship with God by slowing down, seeing the bigger picture, and thinking about why we're doing what we're doing.

30 Seconds

"When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. " - Mark 7:1-3

When our oldest was little (that is, younger than he is today), we used to teach him to sing "happy birthday" while washing his hands. That way, he spent the right amount of time cleaning, and since he knew the song he could easily make the 30 second mark. While that didn't last forever, he still demonstrates good hygiene, which helps prevent the spread of colds in our house.

But the washing of hands back in Jesus's day wasn't to kill cold germs. It was a part of a ritual made to make someone "clean" in the eyes of God. Mark is mentioning this so we, 2000 years in the future, can understand who the Pharisees actually were. We know they challenge Jesus, they are sticklers for the Jewish law, and often boast about how closely they follow the law. But in many encounters with them, Jesus tries to help them understand that what they're doing only cleans their outward appearance - that is, cleaning them from the things they've already done wrong.

And while it's important to do that (Catholics and other faiths do that now as a part of reconciliation), Jesus's point is that they need to change on the inside - that simply following a ritual doesn't fix what's really wrong. He makes this point well during his Sermon on the Mount, and continues to throughout his ministry. That it's more important to be good within, then demonstrate goodness on the outside. Not that giving and helping others is worthless in the eyes of God (in fact, one could argue that doing those things is an outward extension of who you are) - but that we need to spend as much time focusing on our inward appearance as we do our outward appearance. Something the Pharisees had a hard time understanding.

Thank God we are a bit more enlightened!