"Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist ... And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come." -- Mt. 11:11, 14 (NAB)
Today is the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the one whom Jesus Himself called Elijah. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I'm returning to the Elijah-Elisha theme. (Perhaps the only surprise is that I'm blogging for the third time this month! :-))
St. Francis de Sales, in one of his Advent sermons, wrote that St. John the Baptist's "humility, it seems to me, is the most excellent and the most perfect that has ever been, after that of Our Lord and the most sacred Virgin." (The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Advent and Christmas, Rockford, IL: TAN Books, 1984, p. 22) The people of Judea are all abuzz over the possibility that he might be the Messiah. The priests and Levites even came out to him to ask if he's the Messiah. He could easily have yielded to the temptation to claim for his own the title.
But his commitment to the truth is too great. He will not claim to himself that which is not rightly his. In fact, as St. Francis points out, he doesn't even claim that title -- Elijah -- which rightly was his. As St. Francis puts it, "Admirable humility!"
Father, thank You for the wonderful example of St. John the Baptist, especially his amazing humility. Please help us in the Elijah generation especially to imitate his commitment to truth which allows this grace of humility to flow through our lives and into the lives of others. Amen.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Something new
"See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?"--Isaiah 43:19b
Today is the 9th anniversary of the death of a wonderful lady in our parish named Maxine. At least, that's what her holy card says. But June 13 was simply the day that her good friend Ann found her body, sitting in her chair with her feet propped up, facing the TV which was tuned to EWTN, just as she had been when she had her heart attack. All the evidence, though, points to her really dying on Pentecost evening, June 8.
Maxine was a wonderful woman, filled with the joy of the Lord and His Spirit. She had spent many years as a medical missionary nurse in Africa. In fact, one of the Ugandan priests in our area was born at a hospital where she was serving in the maternity ward. He was amazed to learn that because, as he later told us, he had always had a feeling that he knew her from somewhere. :)
By the time I got to know her, she was already retired, but remained very active in her retirement, serving in various ways. She was also active in our Carmelite group. In fact, she and I made our definitive promises on the same day.
But what I'll always remember most about Maxine is what happened that last Pentecost weekend. We were offering several opportunities for people to be prayed with that weekend. On Friday night, Maxine came to my partner and I for prayer. She said that the Lord had told her that He was getting ready to do "something new" with her, and she was so excited that God had something new for her! She couldn't wait to see what this new thing of God would be. So we prayed with her for this "something new" coming in her life, whatever it might be. On Pentecost Sunday morning, she stopped by the prayer ministers for prayer again, and I got to pray with her a second time.
Imagine my shock a few days later when I learned that she had died! But in the days and months and years since then, I have often reflected on what the Lord had said to her. From the Lord's perspective, the death of His faithful ones is simply "something new," a new phase in their eternal relationship of love with Him. Maxine didn't need to know exactly what the new thing was. It was enough to know that it was coming from the hand of her loving Father, and like a trusting little child, she looked forward to it with great excitement and joy.
Dear Father, thank You for Maxine and for allowing me the opportunity to get a glimpse through her into Your perspective on death. Whenever my time comes to approach death, help me to remember that it is simply "something new" in our relationship and to approach it with the same trust, excitement, and joy that she did. Amen.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Son of Encouragement
"When he arrived and saw the grace of God, [Barnabas] rejoiced
and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of
heart, for he was a good man, filled with the holy Spirit and faith."--Acts 11:23-24a (NAB)
Yesterday, June 11, we celebrated the feast of St. Barnabas. I just love St. Barnabas. There's a group of saints that just warm my heart, and Barnabas is one of them. In fact, he's probably one of my favorite saints in Scripture.
St. Luke tells us that Barnabas was actually his nickname, given him by the apostles. It tells you a lot when the leaders name you "Son of Encouragement"! It was a name that suited him so well that he's known to the Church by his nickname, not his given name of Joseph.
Barnabas as we see him in Acts consistently lives out his name. He generously sells a piece of land he owns and gives all the proceeds to the apostles. When no one in the early Church trusted the newly converted Saul, he takes him under his wing and introduces him to the apostles. When the apostles are looking for someone to check out the situation in Antioch, who do they send? Barnabas. And when he sees evidence of God's grace at work, he rejoices, encourages it, and then goes and finds Saul, recognizing that he has gifts that will serve this fledgling work of God.
Early in their work in Antioch and the first mission trip, Luke lists them as "Barnabas and Saul." But it isn't too long into their mission trip before the roles switch. Saul, now Paul, is the chief speaker, the one who is listed first when they are mentioned on mission. But do you get any sense that Barnabas has a problem with this? I can almost hear him say, echoing John the Baptist, "He must increase and I must decrease."
Even the cause of the disagreement that separated Paul and Barnabas is so consistent with his character. Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on their return journey to the communities they founded in Asia Minor. Yes, he knew that Mark had deserted them the first time, but he wanted to give him another chance. That is so typical of Barnabas! And when Paul would have none of it, rather than give in to Paul, he stands on his principles and takes Mark along with him to Cyprus.
We never hear him mentioned again in the Acts of the Apostles, but we owe so much to St. Barnabas! Would we even have a St. Paul if Barnabas had not taken him under his wing and introduced him to the apostles, and later sought him out in Tarsus? And, of course, St. Luke was a friend and disciple of St. Paul, so if there hadn't been a St. Paul, there wouldn't have been a St. Luke, either. Would we have a St. Mark if Barnabas had not given the young man another chance to prove himself, launching him onto his life of service to Peter and Paul? In one sense, we owe a large part of the New Testament writings to the love and encouragement of St. Barnabas!
Dear St. Barnabas, thank you so much for your faithful love and encouragement of God's people, a quiet ministry that has impacted the Church throughout all the ages. Pray for me, that I, too, may be one who encourages the Lord's people, recognizing the work of His Spirit and blessing it wherever it is found. Amen.
St. Luke tells us that Barnabas was actually his nickname, given him by the apostles. It tells you a lot when the leaders name you "Son of Encouragement"! It was a name that suited him so well that he's known to the Church by his nickname, not his given name of Joseph.
Barnabas as we see him in Acts consistently lives out his name. He generously sells a piece of land he owns and gives all the proceeds to the apostles. When no one in the early Church trusted the newly converted Saul, he takes him under his wing and introduces him to the apostles. When the apostles are looking for someone to check out the situation in Antioch, who do they send? Barnabas. And when he sees evidence of God's grace at work, he rejoices, encourages it, and then goes and finds Saul, recognizing that he has gifts that will serve this fledgling work of God.
Early in their work in Antioch and the first mission trip, Luke lists them as "Barnabas and Saul." But it isn't too long into their mission trip before the roles switch. Saul, now Paul, is the chief speaker, the one who is listed first when they are mentioned on mission. But do you get any sense that Barnabas has a problem with this? I can almost hear him say, echoing John the Baptist, "He must increase and I must decrease."
Even the cause of the disagreement that separated Paul and Barnabas is so consistent with his character. Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on their return journey to the communities they founded in Asia Minor. Yes, he knew that Mark had deserted them the first time, but he wanted to give him another chance. That is so typical of Barnabas! And when Paul would have none of it, rather than give in to Paul, he stands on his principles and takes Mark along with him to Cyprus.
We never hear him mentioned again in the Acts of the Apostles, but we owe so much to St. Barnabas! Would we even have a St. Paul if Barnabas had not taken him under his wing and introduced him to the apostles, and later sought him out in Tarsus? And, of course, St. Luke was a friend and disciple of St. Paul, so if there hadn't been a St. Paul, there wouldn't have been a St. Luke, either. Would we have a St. Mark if Barnabas had not given the young man another chance to prove himself, launching him onto his life of service to Peter and Paul? In one sense, we owe a large part of the New Testament writings to the love and encouragement of St. Barnabas!
Dear St. Barnabas, thank you so much for your faithful love and encouragement of God's people, a quiet ministry that has impacted the Church throughout all the ages. Pray for me, that I, too, may be one who encourages the Lord's people, recognizing the work of His Spirit and blessing it wherever it is found. Amen.
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