It will officially be Lent 2016 starting Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Rose and I will be sharing this blog again throughout Lent. This year we are writing about a book we both have a copy of. It's called "Rediscover Catholicism" by Matthew Kelly, and mine is a gift (was supposed to be summer reading) from my parish, St. Francis de Sales, last Easter. I started it but never finished. Not sure where Rose got hers or whether she's read any of it before now, but we are going to be reading and writing about it for the next seven weeks. Thank you, Rose for suggesting this as our topic this Lent.
I was going to start with the first two chapters, and I will get to those.
But I was struck by the prologue, and so I will first reflect on that on this Ash Wednesday.
Imagine a billboard on a busy street or highway anywhere (the book suggests Chicago). No pictures or images (think of the billboards we saw a few years ago, all white with smallish black text on it). One in Salisbury said something like this: "What is it about 'thou shalt not commit murder" that you don't understand? Don't make me come down there." God
Well, this would be similar, but here's what it would say: "This year Catholic Charities will provide 2.2 million free meals to the hungry and the needy of (fill in your hometown, the number mentioned is Chicago). We don't ask them if they are Catholic -- we just ask them if they are hungry."
This is inthe prologue, and while it would look unremarkable and to the uninitiated, perhaps even self-serving, it's significant.
In all the controversy and ugliness the Church has endured in recent years, some people, even some Catholics have forgotten what the church is really about. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis is reminding us of our roots, setting an example for us of the humble servant who shows preference for the poor and marginalized, the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy. The church has gotten lost in its missteps -- and they are horrible, make no mistake -- but lost sight of the enormous good it does in the world.
We have ministries in my community that exist for the purpose of helping the homeless and marginalized. They are not Catholic, which should not make a difference. But they use people's poverty and need to proselytize, to manipulate people into professing faith in God in order to get help.
The proverbial billboard message is a stark reminder that Christians should be about the mission of feeding the hungry clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting prisoners, ministering to the sick and homebound and giving drink to the thirsty. Not about making sure they are Christian or willing to profess anything as a condition for getting that help.
There is also a Catholic ministry to the poor in our community. The sisters who run this ministry will pray with the people they help, but they do not make it a requirement to receive help. These nuns are wonderful people who are always smiling, happy, prayerful people who seem to have boundless energy and stamina to help those who need it most. They find joy in life's simple things.
Pope Francis also reminds us of the spiritual acts of mercy, which some folks might find more taxing: Instruct the ignorant, pray for the living and the dead, forgive all injuries, patiently bear all wrongs, warn the sinner, comfort the sorrowing and counseling the doubtful.
The Holy Father also tells us to be good stewards of all of God's creation, and that includes our environment -- the trees, the land, the water, the air and everything that shares those resources with us. But that's not the focus of the next several weeks.
Ironically, last year one of the topics we reflected on was the plight of refugees. Since then, we've faced the Syrian refugee crisis, which has not only divided our nation and much of the western world, but also taxed the resources and patience of Europe and to a lesser degree, the United States. When we wrote those reflections, little did we know.
And so starting Ash Wednesday, we will each write about four chapters of the book, two chapters per blog entry, twice a week each.
Next up will be "Our Universal Hunger" and "The Prevailing Philosophy." See you in a few days!
Showing posts with label God's mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's mercy. Show all posts
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Who's that you're criticizing?
People sure can get on your nerves sometimes, can't they? They ask stupid questions, have dumb ideas, do the most incredibly irritating things. And guess what? Other people think YOU ask stupid questions, have dumb ideas and do the most incredibly irritating things.
That's all normal stuff. Human stuff. You may not want to admit it sometimes, but these things happen. We get annoyed, irritated, even angry.
Here's something that gets to me, though: people who start telling you what other people intend, or why they think a certain way, or what their "secret" agenda is.
I am also annoyed by people who toss about generalities as if they applied to everyone the same way. You've heard it, and you're likely to hear it a lot this year, an election year: He's a Democrat, so he believes government should control every aspect of our lives. OR She's a Republican, so she is heartless and wants to take food out of the mouths of hungry poor children so the wealthy elite can have a little bit more to play around with.
We can never really know what someone else is thinking or intends to accomplish, at least, not beyond what they tell you. It's like that old smoking gun scenario: You happen upon Person A, who is leaning over Person B who is lying in a pool of blood. Person A is holding a smoking gun in his hand.
You know the drill. Did Person A just shoot Person B and kill him, or did he arrive on the scene moments before you did, and without thinking of consequences, pick up that gun to see if it had just been fired?
To criticize is to judge, to weigh the pros and cons and make an assessment, most often with a negative outcome. The word criticize rarely shows up in Scripture, perhaps because the word didn't exist until the mid-1600s. according to Webster's online.
Occasionally we hear that "the critics" loved a film or show, but most often it means the opposite, that problems were found, that it doesn't make the grade, isn't good enough.
But the word judge (the verb) does appear in Scripture, quite a lot as a matter of fact. And like criticize, it is mostly negative. We are warned not to judge others lest God judge us as harshly. We are told that only God can judge fairly, because he can see what is in our hearts, but we can only see what is on the outside.
When you think about it, it's pretty easy to see why judging others is not a great idea. We truly do not know what is in anyone else's heart. And we don't know all of the factors that go into what we see from the outside looking in.
But we are often our own harshest critics, and we have a much better idea what is in our own hearts, what we are feeling and what has been done to us. And while we all want mercy, or think we want mercy, from God and our friends, family members and colleagues, sometimes one of the hardest things to do is actually accept their mercy.
What gets in the way of accepting sincerely offered mercy? Pride, perhaps, as in the inability to accept anything from someone else (that old American rugged individualism). But perhaps it's something else. Maybe we do not feel worthy of what is being offered.
Criticizing others makes us feel better about ourselves because if we point out a particular fault in someone else, the implication is that we ourselves do not suffer from that weakness or transgression. Ergo, if we point out that someone else gossips all the time, why, people will realize that we do not ourselves gossip.
Wrong.
Before we can make anything right, we must recognize the problem.
During Lent, we hear a lot about sin and penance. But we also hear a lot about mercy, God's infinite mercy.
We all sin, every one of us. But if we repent, if we recognize that sin and are determined not to repeat it, we are forgiven. By God.
If God can forgive us, ask us to move on and leave that particular fault or sin behind, who are we to continue carrying it with us, allowing it to weigh us down, prevent us from becoming something we are intended to be?
If we constantly criticize whatever others do, are we really criticizing them, or are we covering up our own sense of inadequacy?
Judge not, lest ye also be so judged. And that could also mean criticize not, lest ye also be so criticized.
If we are to love others as we love ourselves, hadn't we better learn to love ourselves first?
Stop picking on yourself. Stop talking to yourself in negative, defensive or judgmental terms.
It helps a lot if you think about how Scripture tells us, in many ways and with many references througout the Bible, that as God the father as loved us, so we should love each other. And then Jesus clarified the commandments by explaining that the greatest commandment is twofold: Love God first, and love one another as you love yourself.
Self-love is a term often used in a negative way, too. It is used in reference to greed, self-centeredness and taking what we want without a thought for anyone else. Yet Jesus clearly said that we should love others AS WE LOVE OURSELVES. If you don't love yourself, how are you going to love others? Or God, for that matter.
Ask God to help you to stop criticizing yourself, and you may find that you are more forgiving of others, that you are less criticial of those around you and more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Giving up criticism of self and others for Lent is a good exercise that can make your life more fruitful in many and sometimes unexpected ways.
Peace
Susan
That's all normal stuff. Human stuff. You may not want to admit it sometimes, but these things happen. We get annoyed, irritated, even angry.
Here's something that gets to me, though: people who start telling you what other people intend, or why they think a certain way, or what their "secret" agenda is.
I am also annoyed by people who toss about generalities as if they applied to everyone the same way. You've heard it, and you're likely to hear it a lot this year, an election year: He's a Democrat, so he believes government should control every aspect of our lives. OR She's a Republican, so she is heartless and wants to take food out of the mouths of hungry poor children so the wealthy elite can have a little bit more to play around with.
We can never really know what someone else is thinking or intends to accomplish, at least, not beyond what they tell you. It's like that old smoking gun scenario: You happen upon Person A, who is leaning over Person B who is lying in a pool of blood. Person A is holding a smoking gun in his hand.
You know the drill. Did Person A just shoot Person B and kill him, or did he arrive on the scene moments before you did, and without thinking of consequences, pick up that gun to see if it had just been fired?
To criticize is to judge, to weigh the pros and cons and make an assessment, most often with a negative outcome. The word criticize rarely shows up in Scripture, perhaps because the word didn't exist until the mid-1600s. according to Webster's online.
Occasionally we hear that "the critics" loved a film or show, but most often it means the opposite, that problems were found, that it doesn't make the grade, isn't good enough.
But the word judge (the verb) does appear in Scripture, quite a lot as a matter of fact. And like criticize, it is mostly negative. We are warned not to judge others lest God judge us as harshly. We are told that only God can judge fairly, because he can see what is in our hearts, but we can only see what is on the outside.
When you think about it, it's pretty easy to see why judging others is not a great idea. We truly do not know what is in anyone else's heart. And we don't know all of the factors that go into what we see from the outside looking in.
But we are often our own harshest critics, and we have a much better idea what is in our own hearts, what we are feeling and what has been done to us. And while we all want mercy, or think we want mercy, from God and our friends, family members and colleagues, sometimes one of the hardest things to do is actually accept their mercy.
What gets in the way of accepting sincerely offered mercy? Pride, perhaps, as in the inability to accept anything from someone else (that old American rugged individualism). But perhaps it's something else. Maybe we do not feel worthy of what is being offered.
Criticizing others makes us feel better about ourselves because if we point out a particular fault in someone else, the implication is that we ourselves do not suffer from that weakness or transgression. Ergo, if we point out that someone else gossips all the time, why, people will realize that we do not ourselves gossip.
Wrong.
Before we can make anything right, we must recognize the problem.
During Lent, we hear a lot about sin and penance. But we also hear a lot about mercy, God's infinite mercy.
We all sin, every one of us. But if we repent, if we recognize that sin and are determined not to repeat it, we are forgiven. By God.
If God can forgive us, ask us to move on and leave that particular fault or sin behind, who are we to continue carrying it with us, allowing it to weigh us down, prevent us from becoming something we are intended to be?
If we constantly criticize whatever others do, are we really criticizing them, or are we covering up our own sense of inadequacy?
Judge not, lest ye also be so judged. And that could also mean criticize not, lest ye also be so criticized.
If we are to love others as we love ourselves, hadn't we better learn to love ourselves first?
Stop picking on yourself. Stop talking to yourself in negative, defensive or judgmental terms.
It helps a lot if you think about how Scripture tells us, in many ways and with many references througout the Bible, that as God the father as loved us, so we should love each other. And then Jesus clarified the commandments by explaining that the greatest commandment is twofold: Love God first, and love one another as you love yourself.
Self-love is a term often used in a negative way, too. It is used in reference to greed, self-centeredness and taking what we want without a thought for anyone else. Yet Jesus clearly said that we should love others AS WE LOVE OURSELVES. If you don't love yourself, how are you going to love others? Or God, for that matter.
Ask God to help you to stop criticizing yourself, and you may find that you are more forgiving of others, that you are less criticial of those around you and more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Giving up criticism of self and others for Lent is a good exercise that can make your life more fruitful in many and sometimes unexpected ways.
Peace
Susan
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