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Jesus and a Two-Dollar Bill

Written by on December 28, 2010 - Leave an Awesome Comment

A couple of days before Christmas I went to my favorite breakfast spot, Cal’s.  It’s one of those great local restaurants where everybody knows your name.  The owners, Rich and Gina, are a wonderful married couple who always greet you with a smile and a joyful “good morning.”

I sat down at the breakfast bar and Doreen, the friendly waitress, took my order: two pumpkin pancakes, one egg over easy…and coffee of course.  Gina approached and began to tell me about a touching encounter that she’d just had with an elderly man.  As she spoke, she welled up with tears.  She recounted how the man had approached her at a store and asked if she had any children.  She said no, but stated that she had a young niece.  The man then gave her an envelope.  Inside was a two dollar bill and a message about the importance of keeping Christmas alive in your heart.

During this Christmas season we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world.  But Christ’s coming into the world was not just an historical event that is frozen in time.  Jesus still comes to us today–every day.  For Catholics, we encounter Christ in a very special way in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist.  But there are other everyday moments when Jesus comes to us: in the kind gesture of another; in the soft smile of a stranger; in the giggle of a baby; in the gently falling snow; in the glowing sunset; in the spectacular nightsky.

What’s important is that we have a life of prayer so that we can develop the spiritual awareness to see Him in everyday situations. Once we have the spiritual awareness to see Him in our daily life, then we are able to welcome Him more deeply into our hearts.  And as we welcome Him throughout the day, our gratitude increases because we see how much He loves us and constantly reaches out to us.

I was touched by Gina’s story.  God spoke to her through that man.  The Lord made His love present to her through that man’s small, but kind, gesture.  How many ways does God show up during the day but we are too busy to see?  How many times does the Lord try to reach out to us, to show us His love, but we are too immersed in ourselves to be aware?

This Christmas season, let’s try to be more aware that the Lord comes to us in the seemingly insignificant moments of the day, even in a two dollar bill.
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How has the Lord reached out to you during this Christmas season?  How has he revealed His love to you through others?

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Become a Gift!

Written by on December 11, 2010 - 8 Comments

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Climbing the Mountain

Written by on December 2, 2010 - 1 Comment
“Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.  Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them” (Matthew 15:29-30)

Was Jesus being insensitive?  I mean, not only does He climb a mountain in order to teach, but He knows that many of the people following Him are blind, lame, and crippled.  It’s difficult enough to climb a mountain when you’re healthy, let alone when you’re crippled!  What was Jesus thinking?

The gospel scene which recounts Jesus feeding the four thousand is a profound lesson for us with regard to the call to holiness.  You see, Jesus could have remained on a level plain and not made the people follow him up the mountain; but Jesus wanted to teach them–and us–some very important lessons:

1) We should never be content with remaining at the same level in the spiritual life.  Jesus is always inviting us to new heights of holiness.  This is why He ascends the mountain.  He desires to bring to a new level of holiness all those who feel unable to ascend the mountain because of their weaknesses and sin.  We may not be physically blind or crippled, but each of us has areas of spiritual blindness, each of us can be spiritually crippled at times.  Regardless of our faults, Jesus is always inviting us to go deeper (or higher!).

2) It is only by following Jesus up the mountain that we are able to experience true healing.  It’s no coincidence that Jesus first had the people ascend the mountain and then he healed them.  Sometimes in our lives we need to allow the Lord to bring us through extreme spiritual discomfort (a mountain) so we can experience healing.  A perfect example is when we are dealing with an area of spiritual darkness that we have not yet relinquished: unforgiveness in our hearts; a sin that has gone unrepented; a character defect that we refuse to work on.  It is only when we bring this darkness into the light, when we experience the discomfort of being completely transparent and acknowledging our weakness, that we are able to experience God’s healing.  Ascending the mountain is uncomfortable, but it’s precisely in that discomfort that we experience Christ’s healing.

During this Advent season, Christ invites us to new heights of holiness.  Don’t run away from your discomfort; embrace it and ascend the mountain with the Lord.  Then, and only then, will you experience His healing.

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Stillness

Written by on November 14, 2010 - 6 Comments

Lately I’ve had a desire for deeper stillness in my soul, a desire to live in the present moment, a desire to be present to God’s presence within me.  I wrote this poem as a meditation on the stillness in Christ’s soul—His resting in the Father—from the Incarnation, through His life, passion, death, and resurrection, to His presence in the Holy Eucharist.

Soul of Christ

Stillness in the heavens
Stillness in the womb
Stillness in the manger
Stillness in the temple room

Stillness in the Jordan
Stillness at Cana
Stillness in Your Sermon
Stillness with friends on Tabor

Stillness in the Garden
Stillness in scourging
Stillness in Your crowning
Stillness in crucifixion

Stillness in your rising
Stillness in ascent
Stillness as they gather
Stillness in the Spirit sent

Stillness on the altar
Stillness in the Bread
Stillness in the holy hands
Stillness in souls that are fed

Do you try to be still in God’s presence?  Are you aware of His presence in your soul?

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Are You a Pelagian?

Written by on June 28, 2010 - 9 Comments

“For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10) I have a confession to make: for years I’ve been a secret Pelagian. If you haven’t studied Church history or don’t know much about the early Christian heresies, Pelagius was a 5th century monk who denied the doctrine of original sin and the [...]

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A Prayerful Dialogue

Written by on June 3, 2010 - 6 Comments

“God is love” (1 John 4:8) A troubled Soul: Lord, sometimes I have a hard time believing that you love me unconditionally. Jesus: Why? Soul: Because I have so many imperfections.  I feel weighed down by weaknesses.  I commit the same sins over and over. Jesus: Your saying “I” a lot. Sounds like you’re focused [...]

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How to Love Jesus

Written by on April 15, 2010 - 22 Comments

“Jesus says, ‘I love you just the way you are. And I love you too much to let you stay the way you are’” (Mother Teresa). One of my favorite gospel passages is the post-resurrection encounter between Jesus and Peter when Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” I love this passage because there [...]

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Embracing Our Incompleteness

Written by on April 8, 2010 - 14 Comments

“This world is all a fleeting show, To Man’s illusion given; The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow– There’s nothing true but Heaven.” (Thomas Moore, Sacred Songs) I’ve always been intrigued by Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection (John 20:11-18).  Mary is at the empty tomb and she’s [...]

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Why God Became a Baby

Written by on December 19, 2009 - 12 Comments

“A God who became so small could only be mercy and love” (St. Therese of Lisieux). Last Monday evening I was blessed to visit Amy and Paul and their newborn baby boy, Joseph, at the hospital.  It was last April when I celebrated Amy and Paul’s wedding, and it’s been a joy seeing them eagerly [...]

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Which is Better: Self-Help or Friendship with Jesus?

Written by on October 23, 2009 - 5 Comments

The other day, as I was driving south on Route 95, I was awestruck by the autumn foliage.  A couple of times I was tempted to stop and look, but that’s not the smartest thing to do when you’re on the highway during rush hour.  However, when I was on the back roads about a [...]

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Whose Voice are You Listening to?

Written by on October 15, 2009 - 6 Comments

Do you hear voices?  If you answered yes to this question while undergoing a psychological evaluation, the doctor may conclude that you’re schizophrenic.  But it’s true that each day we do hear different voices. One voice discourages us while the other encourages us; one voice accuses us while the other comes to our aid; one [...]

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Why Jesus is Different–and Why it Matters to Us

Written by on October 6, 2009 - 7 Comments

In 1925, the New York World publication celebrated the birthday of Abraham Lincoln with a cartoon that has become something of a classic.  Two Kentucky farmers are pictured talking over a picket fence.  One asks, “Anything new happen lately?”  The other responds, “Nothing much.  A new baby was born over at Tom Lincoln’s place, but [...]

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