COMPLACENT MUCH?

COMPLACENT MUCH?

“I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” Lk 5:7

For most of my life I assumed that I was one of the 99.  I used to think, like the brother of the Prodigal son, that the big fuss made over the repentant while the steadfast were ignored was grossly unfair. Then about 25 years ago, while on my quest to know God better, a light bulb went on and I realized something really important; who ever said I was one of the 99?  Think of it, 99 who do not need repentance means 99 who do not sin.  As far as I know there have been only 2 people ever, who fit that definition.  I certainly don’t belong in that company. None of us do. Just by thinking that we do takes us out of the running. 

“Some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.”  MK 4:8

On the other hand, we have a chance of being the rich soil upon which the seed of the Good News falls.  This is something we have some control over.  Being the rich soil is not a passive thing but something we should develop.  The question is how?  First decide to do it. Then set out to know Jesus better.  Read his words with an open mind and try to discern his true meaning.  Question the translated words.  Sometimes they just don’t make any sense.  With all the things Google available to us, there is no excuse for not trying to find answers.  Jesus referred to those who listen to my word and keep it.  We want that to be us.  The words of Jesus are precious and hold the fate of the world.  We are not hearing about Jesus for the first time, but it has been easy to just coast and let the words go in one ear and out the other.  After all, we’ve heard them often enough, but these words have eternal life, and the only way they can grow in us is if we listen and read with new insight.  Next thing you know the seed will bear fruit.

Blessings,

Carol Lemelin OPA

NEW BEGINNINGS

NEW BEGINNINGS

And, suddenly you know:  It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings."    --Meister Eckhart

No one likes change. That is a given.  People remain in homes, in jobs, in relationships long after they found any happiness in them because they are afraid to change. What could happen? What if the result is worse than what I have now?  There is no way to guarantee a good result, so I will stay right here.  So be it.

In spiritual matters, however, changing is required.  The freshness of new thought and seeing our relationship with God in new ways can only be good.  As we grow in life so should we grow in faith and spirituality.  We can’t come to God as we did when we were children, because we aren’t children. 

Jesus first 30 years on earth are a mystery since no record exists to explain his life through that time.  What we do know, however, is the man he became. He once mentioned that when a mother gives birth, she forgets the pain of childbirth in her joy of seeing her newborn.  How would He know that unless he witnessed it?  He lived an ordinary life with his parents in his hometown where he learned to understand people and the issues that plague them.    He learned to be compassionate, patient, understanding and gentle.  All of those traits were developed during that mysterious time.  When he finally emerged, he was totally ready.  Oh yes, he could have been born with all those things in place, but we aren’t, so He couldn’t either.

As Philip Yancey pointed out, He knew what it was to be a human being. The miracles that Jesus performed sometimes got in the way of his goal to show us what it is to be human in the way God wills.  Because they are spectacular, they could overshadow the lessons Jesus wanted us to learn.  So, look at the other stories; Jesus singling out Zaccheus, letting the woman wash his feet in public, saving the girl from stoning, striking up the conversation with the Samaritan woman or choosing Matthew, the tax collector, the odd man out, to be a disciple.  All were surprising but not miraculous.  It was the day-to-day interaction with the people that drew the true believers and it was those actions and words that made disciples out of so many. And so it can be with us.  It is absolutely essential that we get to know Jesus the man.  It is his human example that leads us.  It is all there in the Gospels, which should be read from beginning to end, not chopped up into daily readings, but like a great novel, read as a whole. There will be lines in there you may never have heard before. There is so much to learn, which needs to be talked about, questioned, and researched, until it becomes clear who Jesus is and how we can be like Him.  

BLESSINGS,

CAROL LEMELIN OPA

WILD FREEDOM

THE FREEDOM OF CHRIST

In his book, Beautiful Outlaw, John Eldridge describes Jesus as having a wild freedom born of profound holiness.  In his book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Phillip Yancey says that Jesus did not teach us how to be God but how to be human. 

When I read those words, wild freedom, I couldn’t help remembering a children’s movie I saw with my grandchildren called “Jimmy Neutron”.  In the film, all the adults were abducted by aliens. The children, instead of thinking of themselves as abandoned, could only think of the freedom they now had.  My favorite part was when a little boy stood outside on Main Street and said in a singsong voice; “I’m out in public and my clothes don’t match!” That is wild freedom.

As regards Jesus, however, the author means that Jesus is not bound by any of the chains that make true freedom impossible.  Those are the chains of prejudice, fear, anger, insecurity, grudges, tribal influence, egotism and regret.  Jesus was unchained.  Imagine it, no prejudices, no grudges, no regrets, no suspicions, no judgments, no fear of anyone!  That is true freedom. That is what Jesus was telling us, that such a life is possible. The freedom from any of those issues is worth working toward. According to Eldridge, Jesus freedom sprang from profound holiness. 

When I was a youngster, our neighbor’s home was a veritable museum of religious art, statues and prayer cards.  She even had an enormous Rosary hung on the living wall.  I told my Mom that lady was really holy.  My Mom said, “No, that is not necessarily holiness.  Holiness is being close to God.  It’s trying to think like God and see the world as he sees it.”  I admit that then I didn’t get it, seemed like a tall order, but as time passed I began to understand the simple beauty of it. That describes the holiness of Jesus perfectly.  He was as close to God as is possible which enabled his freedom.

Elsewhere in Scripture we find an angel saying, “All things are possible for God.”  So, it is possible for us to throw off the chains if, and only if, we enlist the help of God.  It is as though we are holding our breath and Christ keeps telling us to let go.  Try it now, hold your breath, then let it go and know the relief that brings.  Of course, we have to do it one chain at a time and some will be extremely resistant but, when we truly find ourselves in partnership with God we will find the power within us to attain that freedom.

May God be with you throughout the New Year and keep you safe.

Carol Lemelin OPA

JUST SAY IT!

JUST SAY IT!

You worry about your children.  They don’t go to church any more.  Okay, so they don’t go to church anymore.  It’s not the end of the world nor does it guarantee they will not go to heaven.  What matters is, do they know that God is with them?  Do they know that God loves them?  Do they know that God’s forgiveness is absolute? Do they know that when they do good things, they reflect the God in them? If they don’t already know those things, whose fault is that?  Church is where one goes to join others in expressing faith.  Rarely does one come out of church, any church, with newfound faith.  Often they come out with questions. That’s where we, the faithful, come in. 

The old dictate that we should never discuss religion or politics often keeps us from saying the most important things.  We hesitate to bring up these matters for fear of causing a rift.  When Jesus was teaching his disciples about speaking of Him and his mission, he told them not to be afraid or worry about what they should say.  He said that they would know what to say because He would be with them at all times.  Think of the thousands of people that found Christ through the Apostles words.  They were not in churches.  They were in marketplaces and at the well and in the inns and taverns.

 That promise to be always with them was not just for them.  Imagine that you were in the room and Jesus looked right at you and said, “Have no fear about what you should say, I will be with you.”  Would you have believed it?  Would you have gone on to speak of Him without fear?  You bet you would.  So what’s changed?  In your zeal to see that others whom you love, acknowledge Him, you may have lost sight of the fact that Christ expects you to speak for Him.  He then added a very consoling idea. He said, “It will not be you speaking but the Spirit of the Father speaking through you.”  That promise indicates that you need not worry about how much you know.  If that worries you, read the gospel every day.  The answers are there. 

With all that knowledge behind you, you can be fearless.  This is not some meta-physical nonsense, this, as our beloved Fr. Jim used to say, is reality.  Trust the Holy Spirit.  Tell your children of your own experience of God.

Blessings on you all as we enter yet another new year.  May the coming year bring deeper faith, hearts full of peace and hope and most of all love.

CAROL LEMELIN OPA