When King David was old and advanced in years, though they covered him with blankets he could not get warm... -- I Kings 1:1 (NAB)
The Book of Kings opens with a picture of King David as a man who is clearly in failing health. Yet he is still reigning as king and, even though the Lord has made it clear to him that he is to be succeeded by Solomon, David has not yet passed the power to him.
His failure to act sets up a nearly disastrous situation as one of his other sons is plotting to seize the throne as soon as David dies, and maybe even before. Fortunately, the prophet Nathan intervenes and David has Solomon declared king and seated on the royal throne.
It's a temptation for all of us to hold on to power and authority. But we have to remember that we receive all gifts, including power and authority, from the Lord, and the time will come when we have to pass it on to our successors. If we try to hold onto the baton when the time has come to pass it off, the race can be lost.
Dear Lord, help me to recognize when the time comes to pass the batons that You have given me to my successors. May I, and all the Elijahs, allow the Elishas to fulfill their roles in Your plan. Help us to take our identities, not in what we do in this life, but in our relationship with You. Then we will have the grace, when the time comes, to let go of the baton in peace, trusting in Your loving plan for us and for the generation to come. Amen.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Elijah-David, Elisha-Solomon
David died at a ripe old age, rich in years and wealth and glory, and his son Solomon succeeded him as king. -- 1 Chronicles 29:28 (NAB)
King David was Israel's greatest king. He established Israel as a kingdom in a way that Saul was unable to do. He established Jerusalem as his capital city. Most importantly, he lived and died as "a man after God's own heart" -- not perfect by any means, but always repentant and returning quickly to the Lord after his sins.
Yet, in spite of all this, David was not the one to build the great Temple for, as he recounted to Solomon, the Lord told him, "You may not build a house for my name, because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight." (I Chr. 22:8) The Lord chose Solomon to build the Temple and established him, in one sense, as an even greater king than David.
There are several things to be learned from this Elijah/Elisha pair, more, I'm sure, than I'm aware of, but in the next few posts I'd like to try to capture a couple of them.
King David was Israel's greatest king. He established Israel as a kingdom in a way that Saul was unable to do. He established Jerusalem as his capital city. Most importantly, he lived and died as "a man after God's own heart" -- not perfect by any means, but always repentant and returning quickly to the Lord after his sins.
Yet, in spite of all this, David was not the one to build the great Temple for, as he recounted to Solomon, the Lord told him, "You may not build a house for my name, because you have shed too much blood upon the earth in my sight." (I Chr. 22:8) The Lord chose Solomon to build the Temple and established him, in one sense, as an even greater king than David.
There are several things to be learned from this Elijah/Elisha pair, more, I'm sure, than I'm aware of, but in the next few posts I'd like to try to capture a couple of them.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Elijah: the temptation to despair
"Elijah prayed for death: “Enough, LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” -- I Kings 19:4b (NAB)
Elijah had been running the race well. He had delivered the Word of the Lord to the people of Israel and had persevered through the 3+ years of drought and famine that followed. He had seen the Lord provide for him miraculously during that time. His faithfulness and trust in God had been rewarded by a spectacular victory in head-to-head combat with his enemies, during which the Lord had displayed His power in a spectacular way, which appeared to have opened the eyes of the people to the truth, leading to the slaughter of his enemies.
So why is Elijah now, just a short time later, on the verge of despair?
After this incredible display of the power of the true God, his life is threatened by the pagan queen, Jezebel. Instead of standing his ground and trusting that the Almighty God will come to his defense, Elijah, who just a day or two before was so courageous, succumbs to fear and flees. Now, hiding in the wilderness, he laments his cowardice and prays for death since, "I am no better than my ancestors."
No matter how powerfully we have seen God work in or through us, we are always just one step away from a fall. We are fallible human beings, and, as Brother Lawrence said, left on our own, we will always fall. Sometimes the Lord even allows us to fall -- note that I wrote "allows," not "makes" -- just to remind us that apart from Him, we can do nothing. (Jn. 15:5) When that reminder of our nothingness comes, we often experience great disappointment in ourselves, a disappointment that can even, if we're not careful, become a temptation to despair.
When that time comes (note that I wrote "when," not "if"), we must ask the Lord for the grace to humbly put our hope once more entirely in Him. If we do, we will find that He quickly comes to our aid, as Elijah himself experienced:
He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger touched him and said, “Get up and eat!” He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb. (I Kings 19:5-8)
Dear Lord, when we fall, may we never hesitate to turn, brokenhearted, back to You. For our success is measured, not by who we are, but by Who You are--Our All-Powerful, All-Merciful Father. Grant us the grace to persevere in running the race, sustained by Your Love, most perfectly provided for us in the Eucharistic Heart of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
Elijah had been running the race well. He had delivered the Word of the Lord to the people of Israel and had persevered through the 3+ years of drought and famine that followed. He had seen the Lord provide for him miraculously during that time. His faithfulness and trust in God had been rewarded by a spectacular victory in head-to-head combat with his enemies, during which the Lord had displayed His power in a spectacular way, which appeared to have opened the eyes of the people to the truth, leading to the slaughter of his enemies.
So why is Elijah now, just a short time later, on the verge of despair?
After this incredible display of the power of the true God, his life is threatened by the pagan queen, Jezebel. Instead of standing his ground and trusting that the Almighty God will come to his defense, Elijah, who just a day or two before was so courageous, succumbs to fear and flees. Now, hiding in the wilderness, he laments his cowardice and prays for death since, "I am no better than my ancestors."
No matter how powerfully we have seen God work in or through us, we are always just one step away from a fall. We are fallible human beings, and, as Brother Lawrence said, left on our own, we will always fall. Sometimes the Lord even allows us to fall -- note that I wrote "allows," not "makes" -- just to remind us that apart from Him, we can do nothing. (Jn. 15:5) When that reminder of our nothingness comes, we often experience great disappointment in ourselves, a disappointment that can even, if we're not careful, become a temptation to despair.
When that time comes (note that I wrote "when," not "if"), we must ask the Lord for the grace to humbly put our hope once more entirely in Him. If we do, we will find that He quickly comes to our aid, as Elijah himself experienced:
He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger touched him and said, “Get up and eat!” He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb. (I Kings 19:5-8)
Dear Lord, when we fall, may we never hesitate to turn, brokenhearted, back to You. For our success is measured, not by who we are, but by Who You are--Our All-Powerful, All-Merciful Father. Grant us the grace to persevere in running the race, sustained by Your Love, most perfectly provided for us in the Eucharistic Heart of Your Son Jesus. Amen.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Running the race
Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. -- I Corinthians 9:24
St. Paul talks about the Christian life as a race, but by saying that "only one wins the prize," he makes it sound like we're each running on our own. Although that is true to an extent, there's another very real way in which the race is a relay. In fact, you could look at salvation history as a whole, long sequence of one runner or generation passing the baton to the next.
There are several key points in a relay race, especially if the relay is a marathon.
St. Paul talks about the Christian life as a race, but by saying that "only one wins the prize," he makes it sound like we're each running on our own. Although that is true to an extent, there's another very real way in which the race is a relay. In fact, you could look at salvation history as a whole, long sequence of one runner or generation passing the baton to the next.There are several key points in a relay race, especially if the relay is a marathon.
- The first runner who has been running a long time may be nearing the point of exhaustion, yet can't yet see the person to whom the baton will go next. When that happens, it's important for the first runner to persevere when the temptation comes to give up.
- There is a point in the race when runners can see each other, but the second runner can't just wait for the first runner to arrive and then start. The two runners will be on the course at the same time, with the second runner picking up speed. The goal is for both runners to be running at full speed, stride for stride, at the time of the handoff.
- Most important is the timing of the handoff itself. If the first runner lets go too soon or hangs on too long, the baton can be dropped and the race in danger of being lost.
Friday, January 20, 2012
We interrupt the regularly scheduled reflections...
I really was trying to follow a single line of thought through for a period of several weeks in this blog. I had even when I had time written several which I've scheduled to be posted over the next couple of weeks, a trick I learned from one of my regular blogging friends. :-)
But some news broke today that I feel is of such importance that I just have to comment on it. I've already sent in a letter to the editor of the Detroit News, as well as sent an email to a number of friends (not as many as I wanted since hotmail told me I had "exceeded my daily limit," even though I'd sent my Christmas e-letter to the same list 4 weeks ago with no trouble :-( ). But even though it will be repetitive, I feel the need to blog about it, too, just in case someone else may some day stumble upon these words.
In what has sometimes been called "the culture wars," I really try to pick my battles, but a decision was announced today by Health and Human Services that, due to its far-reaching consequences, should be, for all those who value freedom of religion and conscience, a call to arms--not in terms of physical weapons, of course, but in terms of action and, above all, prayer. The Dept. of Health and Human Services announced that, despite the objections of thousands of faith-based organizations, all employers must include in their health plans free access to sterilization and to any drug or device that the FDA terms "contraception," including those that cause early abortions. The only "conscience clause" is so narrowly defined that it would not include thousands of Catholic and other religiously-affiliated hospitals, schools, and social service agencies. This mandate goes into effect in 2013.
As Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York stated so eloquently after the announcement, "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.” He later stated, "Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience." To put it another way, the Obama administration is stating by this mandate that health care--as they define it--is a basic right, but some people will be able to get this basic right only if they give up another basic right, freedom of conscience.
This is simply the latest volley in what Gov. Rick Perry has called "this administration's war on religion." Anyone of faith or good will who thinks that this attack on freedom of conscience will not eventually impact them needs to study history. Even if you are not concerned with or don't agree with the Catholic Church about this particular issue, if we let this go unchallenged, then someday the hand of government will reach out to touch an issue of conscience that does concern you--only by then, the momentum of precedent may make it too difficult to fight back.
Above all, please pray, since this is, at its core, a spiritual battle. May the Lord Jesus grant us grace to know and do His will. Amen.
But some news broke today that I feel is of such importance that I just have to comment on it. I've already sent in a letter to the editor of the Detroit News, as well as sent an email to a number of friends (not as many as I wanted since hotmail told me I had "exceeded my daily limit," even though I'd sent my Christmas e-letter to the same list 4 weeks ago with no trouble :-( ). But even though it will be repetitive, I feel the need to blog about it, too, just in case someone else may some day stumble upon these words.
In what has sometimes been called "the culture wars," I really try to pick my battles, but a decision was announced today by Health and Human Services that, due to its far-reaching consequences, should be, for all those who value freedom of religion and conscience, a call to arms--not in terms of physical weapons, of course, but in terms of action and, above all, prayer. The Dept. of Health and Human Services announced that, despite the objections of thousands of faith-based organizations, all employers must include in their health plans free access to sterilization and to any drug or device that the FDA terms "contraception," including those that cause early abortions. The only "conscience clause" is so narrowly defined that it would not include thousands of Catholic and other religiously-affiliated hospitals, schools, and social service agencies. This mandate goes into effect in 2013.
As Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York stated so eloquently after the announcement, "In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.” He later stated, "Never before has the federal government forced individuals and organizations to go out into the marketplace and buy a product that violates their conscience." To put it another way, the Obama administration is stating by this mandate that health care--as they define it--is a basic right, but some people will be able to get this basic right only if they give up another basic right, freedom of conscience.
This is simply the latest volley in what Gov. Rick Perry has called "this administration's war on religion." Anyone of faith or good will who thinks that this attack on freedom of conscience will not eventually impact them needs to study history. Even if you are not concerned with or don't agree with the Catholic Church about this particular issue, if we let this go unchallenged, then someday the hand of government will reach out to touch an issue of conscience that does concern you--only by then, the momentum of precedent may make it too difficult to fight back.
Above all, please pray, since this is, at its core, a spiritual battle. May the Lord Jesus grant us grace to know and do His will. Amen.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
On Elijahs and Elishas
When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Request whatever I might do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.” -- 2 Kings 2:9 (NAB)
Elijah is looked on as the prototypical Old Testament prophet, a very understandable title. He was the first major prophet in the divided kingdom and operated in great power. It was later prophesied that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah, a prophecy that Jesus said was fulfilled in John the Baptist. He, along with Moses, appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
Elisha's request was granted; he received a double portion of Elijah's spirit and performed many mighty deeds. He also seemed to have been better received by the King of Israel than was Elijah. Yet you hear much less of him than of Elijah.
As I reflected on it, it seemed like there were at least three other pairs in Scripture that were similar to Elijah and Elisha. The Elijah tended to be the more famous one, at least initially, and did do many great things, but the Elisha did even mightier deeds and actually got the job done. The Elijah, though, was not an unimportant, publicity-grabbing place-filler, by any means. The Elijah was very important to the Elisha in preparing the way for the Elisha's future success.
I also started thinking of the current generations in term of Elijah and Elisha. I would define the Elijah generation as those born in the roughly 40 years before 1973, while the Elishas are those born in the almost 40 years since. The Elijahs, including all the Baby Boomers, tend to attract a lot of attention and in many cases have done important things for God. But I sense that the Lord has something very special in mind for the Elishas -- so special that the evil one has been trying to destroy them, as he tried to destroy the Christ Child through the murder of the Holy Innocents. The modern Elisha generation will do mighty things for God, I'm sure.
Both the Elijahs and the Elishas have things to learn from their counterparts in the past. I'm going to try to capture some of that in the next few posts, both for my own sake and the sakes of anyone the Holy Spirit may lead to this blog.
Elijah is looked on as the prototypical Old Testament prophet, a very understandable title. He was the first major prophet in the divided kingdom and operated in great power. It was later prophesied that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah, a prophecy that Jesus said was fulfilled in John the Baptist. He, along with Moses, appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.
Elisha's request was granted; he received a double portion of Elijah's spirit and performed many mighty deeds. He also seemed to have been better received by the King of Israel than was Elijah. Yet you hear much less of him than of Elijah.
As I reflected on it, it seemed like there were at least three other pairs in Scripture that were similar to Elijah and Elisha. The Elijah tended to be the more famous one, at least initially, and did do many great things, but the Elisha did even mightier deeds and actually got the job done. The Elijah, though, was not an unimportant, publicity-grabbing place-filler, by any means. The Elijah was very important to the Elisha in preparing the way for the Elisha's future success.
I also started thinking of the current generations in term of Elijah and Elisha. I would define the Elijah generation as those born in the roughly 40 years before 1973, while the Elishas are those born in the almost 40 years since. The Elijahs, including all the Baby Boomers, tend to attract a lot of attention and in many cases have done important things for God. But I sense that the Lord has something very special in mind for the Elishas -- so special that the evil one has been trying to destroy them, as he tried to destroy the Christ Child through the murder of the Holy Innocents. The modern Elisha generation will do mighty things for God, I'm sure.
Both the Elijahs and the Elishas have things to learn from their counterparts in the past. I'm going to try to capture some of that in the next few posts, both for my own sake and the sakes of anyone the Holy Spirit may lead to this blog.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Transitioning
"Now that I am old and gray, do not forsake me, God, that I may proclaim your might to all generations yet to come..." -- Psalm 71:18 (NAB)
2011 was an interesting year. Although only 55, I received my first senior discount at a local movie theater. Even more interesting was getting asked by a store clerk if I wanted a senior discount. Yes, time is passing, and although I don't think of myself as old, I am definitely turning gray!
I told some friends as we celebrated my birthday that it's been occurring to me that the time has passed for wondering "what I'm going to be when I grow up." :-) Yes, I know that Grandma Moses started painting in her 80s, and Jesus, of course, is free to do whatever He likes with me at any time. But I'm not thinking about major changes that I might initiate, such as my next career move . Rather, I'm praying for the grace to persevere in what the Lord has for me to do as I transition through "later middle age" and, in time, God willing, into old age.
As part of that, I've been thinking back to a Lenten Bible study I was part of a few years ago in which we studied the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha. As I reflected on it, I started thinking of other pairs like them in the Scripture and the lessons we could learn from them. I think that's some of what I'd like to capture in the next few posts. I don't know how far I'll get, but let's see how it goes.
2011 was an interesting year. Although only 55, I received my first senior discount at a local movie theater. Even more interesting was getting asked by a store clerk if I wanted a senior discount. Yes, time is passing, and although I don't think of myself as old, I am definitely turning gray!
I told some friends as we celebrated my birthday that it's been occurring to me that the time has passed for wondering "what I'm going to be when I grow up." :-) Yes, I know that Grandma Moses started painting in her 80s, and Jesus, of course, is free to do whatever He likes with me at any time. But I'm not thinking about major changes that I might initiate, such as my next career move . Rather, I'm praying for the grace to persevere in what the Lord has for me to do as I transition through "later middle age" and, in time, God willing, into old age.
As part of that, I've been thinking back to a Lenten Bible study I was part of a few years ago in which we studied the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha. As I reflected on it, I started thinking of other pairs like them in the Scripture and the lessons we could learn from them. I think that's some of what I'd like to capture in the next few posts. I don't know how far I'll get, but let's see how it goes.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A year gone by!
"...do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years* and a thousand years like one day." (2 Peter 3:8 NAB)
It's amazing to think that more than a year has gone by since I last wrote in this blog! The entire year of 2011--gone!
I well understand why. Around Thanksgiving 2010, one of our employees resigned and we decided, as a cost-saving move, to try to absorb her duties among existing staff. I totally understood and agreed with the decision, financially, but it resulted in my already busy job becoming, if possible, even busier. 50-hour work weeks became the norm, and I still never felt "caught up." Even during the fall, my usual down time when I could do other projects, I was busy trying to finish major projects from earlier in the year. By the time I finally finished them, it was time to ramp up for the busy season.
When I wasn't at work, it seemed like all my time and energy was spent on catching up at the rest of life: cleaning clothes and other things that needed cleaning, connecting with family and friends, catching up on reading, and sometimes just vegging out. So writing in this blog never made it to the top of the to-do list.
Recently, though, I celebrated my 56th birthday, which has me "thinking deep thoughts." (I'm thinking that was said by Winnie the Pooh, but I can't verify that right now. :-)) The thought occurred to me, in the midst of those thoughts, that it might be worthwhile to make time to do some writing. The facts that I have a bit of time tonight and that I was able to still access this blog (not a given, since my old PC with all my bookmarks and autosaved passwords, died last year) seem to be confirming it. So let's see if I can get a few of those thoughts into some posts that will come out over the next several weeks. Stay tuned!
It's amazing to think that more than a year has gone by since I last wrote in this blog! The entire year of 2011--gone!
I well understand why. Around Thanksgiving 2010, one of our employees resigned and we decided, as a cost-saving move, to try to absorb her duties among existing staff. I totally understood and agreed with the decision, financially, but it resulted in my already busy job becoming, if possible, even busier. 50-hour work weeks became the norm, and I still never felt "caught up." Even during the fall, my usual down time when I could do other projects, I was busy trying to finish major projects from earlier in the year. By the time I finally finished them, it was time to ramp up for the busy season.
When I wasn't at work, it seemed like all my time and energy was spent on catching up at the rest of life: cleaning clothes and other things that needed cleaning, connecting with family and friends, catching up on reading, and sometimes just vegging out. So writing in this blog never made it to the top of the to-do list.
Recently, though, I celebrated my 56th birthday, which has me "thinking deep thoughts." (I'm thinking that was said by Winnie the Pooh, but I can't verify that right now. :-)) The thought occurred to me, in the midst of those thoughts, that it might be worthwhile to make time to do some writing. The facts that I have a bit of time tonight and that I was able to still access this blog (not a given, since my old PC with all my bookmarks and autosaved passwords, died last year) seem to be confirming it. So let's see if I can get a few of those thoughts into some posts that will come out over the next several weeks. Stay tuned!
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