Guided by Two Hands

 

Seeing how God and Mary guided John Paul II

05/13/2026

John 16:12-15 Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

Every morning around 5:45 I greet the high school students who attend Ozark Catholic Academy in Tontitown before they depart for school. We say the Our Father in Latin. A few weeks ago I was talking to a senior and her mother as they waited to leave and we discussed Pope Leo XIV and how young he was to be elected pope at age 69.

I made the comment, “But John Paul II was only 58 when he became pope and that’s so young!” And the senior literally laughed out loud – “Ha!” – at my assertion that 58 was “young.” To an 18-year-old who’s fit as a fiddle, being 58 must seem as old as the hills. But it was very providential that the Polish pontiff was so young because his excellent health helped him to survive an assassination attempt three years later on May 13, 1981.

Some of you might remember the sunny afternoon that Pope John Paul II was wheeling around St. Peter’s Square in his popemobile, smiling and greeting pilgrims when Mehemet Ali Agca shot the Holy Father four times. John Paul, of course, because of his deep devotion to Mary, gave the Blessed Mother the credit for saving his life.

May 13 is the feast of Our Lady of Fatima and John Paul insisted Mary’s hand had moved the bullet away from his vital organs. Who is Our Lady of Fatima? Our Lady of Fatima is one of the virtually innumerable titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appeared from May 13 to October 13, 1917 to three peasant children in Fatima, Portugal. Mary’s titles often arise from the location where she appears, in this case Fatima, Portugal.

By the way, Mary must be a polyglot, someone who speaks a lot of languages, because she invariably appears to illiterate children or peasants and addresses them in their native tongue. When she appeared before Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, she spoke to them in perfect Portuguese. If Mary appears to you, she will have a soft southern drawl, “Ya’ll come back, hear?”

Now a more subtle connection between Our Lady of Fatima and John Paul revolves around the third secret of Fatima. Mary revealed 3 secrets to Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, and the third one – which the Vatican publicized in 2000 – referred to a bishop dressed in white (the pope) who traveling through a ruined city (ancient Rome) would be killed by soldiers (Mehemet Ali Agca).

But John Paul interpreted that secret to be an advance warning to help him survive the assassination attempt. In other words, John Paul did not believe May 13 was a coincidence but rather a providence: God’s hand guiding history, especially the pope’s own personal history. We might say that as Mary’s motherly hand guided the bullet away from John Paul’s vital organs, God’s fatherly hand had been guiding John Paul’s whole life so that he met that bullet on Mary’s feast day.

Tony Robbins, a popular motivational speaker, holds an annual seminar called “Date with Destiny” to help people improve their lives. John Paul believed May 13 was his “date with destiny” where Mary’s hand and God’s hand worked powerfully together to save his life and to strengthen his faith. The assassination attempt did not discourage the pope; it made his more determined than ever.

My friends, we all have a date with destiny. Oh, I don’t mean you should attend a Tony Robbins motivational tent revival, but to discern carefully how God the Father’s hand through his providence and Mother Mary’s hand through her prayers guide our own lives. People of faith cannot countenance living by luck, or believe in karma, or knocking on wood so something bad does not happen, or avoid talking about a NBA player’s perfect free throw stat as he steps up to take one, or how baseball player wear the same underwear while they are on a winning streak. That is all superstitious bunk.

Rather, we must adopt the attitude of little children, like Jacinto, Francisco, and Lucia, who are docile to the guidance of a father’s and mother’s hand in their life. That is why the standard Catholic prayer is always: one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be. Why? Because we submit ourselves, especially our wills, to the providence of the Father, and to the prayerful protection of our Mother, so we can glorify the Holy Trinity in all we do. Then we will live a truly worthy Christian life.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

From Bud to Blossom

 

Appreciating the new springtime of Christianity

05/12/2026

John 16:5-11 Jesus said to his disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

Have you noticed the growing number of new Catholics lately? We had so many people coming into the Church this past Easter we could not line them all up shoulder-to-shoulder in our sanctuary. Obviously, we need to tear down the walls and build a bigger church! Just kidding.

And this is not a local phenomenon isolated to I.C. but spread across the world. Even in European countries like France and Germany that had been hemorrhaging Catholics are seeing record baptisms. So we cannot pat ourselves on the back and take undue credit for it.

Several people have asked me what I think about this new wave of Catholic converts which is slowly swelling into a tsunami. The simple answer is that we are witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is always the Spirit of God who inspires anything good we do, and certainly the Spirit is touching the hearts of modern men and women to take a second look at the Catholic faith, and get onboard the barque of St. Peter.

And the Holy Spirit can avail himself of extremely effective evangelists today like Bishop Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Scott Hahn, Edward Sri, Marcus Grodi, and even actors in Hollywood like Mark Walhberg and Jonathan Roumi. The Holy Spirit has lots of tools in his tool belt today.

But then I also add a cautionary tale. These new converts to Catholicism should take care not to become Catholic because everyone is doing it, or because suddenly it’s cool to be Catholic. Why not? Because soon it will not be cool to be Catholic and people will not praise your decision but persecute you for it.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said the Church always finds her home at the foot of the Cross, with Mary, John, and Mary Magdalene, who represent the consecrated virgins (Mary), the priesthood (John), and repentant sinners (Mary Magdalene). In other words, this current season of fame and fortune will not last, and therefore, we must be ready to carry the cross. And then we will see how really wants to be Catholic.

We continue to read from the Acts of the Apostles in our first readings after Easter and fittingly so. But did you catch how the primitive Church, like the present Church, experienced an extraordinary growth in Christian converts? The apostles were, no doubt, intrepid preachers and teachers of the faith. Nonetheless, it’s incorrect to give them all the credit for these early conversions. Why?

Well, because people seem to line up to become Catholic almost with no effort on their part. For example, the jailer in Philippi desires to be Christian and all Paul and Silas did was sing and praise God all night. That is, it’s clear the Holy Spirit is working powerfully on the inside while the apostles do their part on the outside. But it’s the inside work in the heart that matters most.

So, what is the lesson for us today 2,026 years after the resurrection? Well, I think there are two lessons. First, welcome the new converts with open arms and don’t question the sincerity of their new-found faith. Just like Paul and Silas joyfully welcomed the jailor so we should welcome the newbies with open arms and warm hugs.

But second we should also not sugar-coat Catholicism. To be sure we believe true happiness, holiness, peace, and joy are found within these four walls, but the Catholic creed is for the courageous, not the faint of heart. In the end, there is no surer road to the resurrection than the way of the Cross. “If you would my disciple be, pick up your cross and follow me.”

Back in 1990 Pope St. John Paul II wrote an encyclical letter called “Redemptoris Missio” (The Mission of the Redeemer), where he wrote optimistically: “As the third millennium draws near, God is preparing a great springtime of Christianity, and we can already see its first signs.”

The pope-saint wrote those prophetic words 36 years ago when he could only glimpse that springtime’s first signs. His words were full of hope, because the springtime was only budding back then. From our vantage point today, as we behold this great garden of new converts, we see that springtime has burst into full bloom.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Authority v Autonomy

 

Seeking peace and unity by compromising our autonomy

05/07/2026

John 15:9-11 Jesus said to his dis
ciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

In my home state of Kerala in India, the Church has been embroiled in a great liturgical controversy that can be called authority versus autonomy. The controversy consists of two conflicting sides. On the side of authority stand the Indian bishops (and even the pope), while on the side of autonomy are ranged the Indian priests (and many lay people). At the crux of the conflict is the position of the priest at Mass. Should the priest face the people during Mass, or should he face the altar with his back to the people? You know how everyone loves it whenever we change something at the Mass.

Why is this such a big deal? Since 1965 (after Vatican II) the priest has faced the people in the Indian Church (like we do here at I.C.). But the Indian bishops met in a council in 2021 and decided it would be better if the priest turned and faced the altar (instead of the people) during the second half of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. And all heck broke loose. The priests and people protested in front of the cathedral, they burned posters of the cardinal in effigy, street brawls broke out, and for several months the cathedral was closed and protected by the local police.

Now, I should note that the Indian bishops have the legitimate authority to enact liturgical changes. That is how we believe the Holy Spirit has guided the Church for 2,000 years and will continue to do so. But the priests and people did not approve of the change and wanted to act autonomously and independently. Whose side would you be on: the authority of the prelates and pope, or the side of the autonomy of the priests and people? In any case, they reached a compromise where all the Masses in the cathedral would be celebrated with the priest facing the people, and with only one Mass where the priest faced the altar. Who do you think won?

In the gospel today, Jesus teaches that often – if not always – autonomy must give way to authority. Jesus sacrifices his own personal autonomy to act in obedience to the Father’s paternal authority. He says: “I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” The hallmark, therefore, of Jesus life is perfect obedience to his Father’s will. And in the first reading from Acts 15, the apostles (first bishops and Peter the pope, that is, authority) decree that Gentile converts did not need to be circumcised in order to become Christians. But notice we also read: “After much debate had taken place,” that is, much disagreement and discord.

In other words, from the beginning of the history of the Church stretching all the way down to 2025 in the Church in India, the controversy of authority versus autonomy has shaken the community of disciples and threatened to fracture its fragile unity. Tragically, we have not always successfully maintained that peace and unity, like when the Orthodox and Catholic Churches split in 1054. And of course, authority versus autonomy was precisely why the Protestant churches departed from the Catholic fold. Now, let me ask you again: which side won? No side.

Of course, the tug-of-war between authority and autonomy does not play out only in the first century and in far-off foreign countries, but touches us very close to home. After all, why else did we Americans fight the Civil War and kill our fellow citizens if the heated debate was not over states rights (autonomy) versus the national interest of union (authority)? And doesn’t every parent feel the same tension of the Indian bishops when they set rules and expectations for their families and homes and are met with rebellious and recalcitrant teenagers? Mom and dad’s authority butts heads with their children’s growing desire for autonomy.

At this Mass of the 5th week of Easter, as we await the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, may that eternal Spirit of love between the Father and the Son, between whom there is only harmony of authority and autonomy and no discord, teach us how to live and love each other in our own communities of church, country, and family. Why? Because only if we learn how to balance just authority with legitimate autonomy here on earth will we feel welcome and at home in heaven. Jesus said: “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

A Cult at the Core

 

Understanding the deepest religious roots of culture

05/05/2026

John 14:27-31a Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me."

Today on Cinco de Mayo – literally in Spanish May 5th – many Americans celebrate in some fashion the Mexican culture, but very few Americans understand its real roots. For starters, most of us mistake Cinco de Mayo for Mexican Independence Day, thinking its equivalent to the American July 4th.

But Mexico’s independence is celebrated on September 16. By the way, that is why our parish celebrates the Hispanic cultural festival in mid-September. Sadly, most of our Anglo parishioners don’t know the roots of that September celebration either. Who cares? It’s just an excuse to throw a party!

Let me give you a quick history lesson about today’s real roots. On May 5, 1862 the Mexican army, with only 4,500 soldiers (many of whom were common farmers with pitchforks), defeated the larger and more professionally trained soldiers of 6,000 French troops in Puebla, Mexico.

The invading French hoped to conquer the Mexican nation and establish a pro-French monarchy to rule it. The Cinco de Mayo battle was not the final conflict between Mexico and France, but the unexpected victory gave the Mexicans hope they could eventually overthrow the occupiers, which they did 5 years later in 1867.

But I believe even deeper roots of what occurred on Cinco de Mayo go back over 300 years earlier to 1531. On December 9 of that year Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego and converted an entire nation to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. In other words, at the heart of every “culture” is a “cult” as you can even tell from the etymology: cult forms the principal part of the word culture.

The deepest roots, therefore of the Mexican people’s identity – later manifested in military exploits like on Cinco de Mayo – plunges into their shared religious experiences. Before any true culture can declare its independence from other nations, it must declare its dependence on God.

This suggestion that religious roots are the deepest roots of a culture raises the question of what are the deepest roots of our American culture? Even a C-student of our modern American society can perceive in the “culture wars” raging today a fight to assert the roots and foundation of our culture.

In a sense, all Americans are asking: are our roots religious (and if so, which religion?) or are our roots non-religious with perhaps a vague feeling of God but with no clear idea of who he is? In other words, the roots of the culture wars we witness and wage in modern America is trying to answer the question is there a cult in American culture? What are America’s real roots?

Now, those questions are too big and too speculative for us this morning at 7 a.m. Mass, so let me make it more personal. What are our deepest roots as individuals? Since you are sitting here at Mass, that should be a no-brainer. You roots are religious, namely, in the Catholic religion. But what about your children and grandchildren – what are their deepest roots?

Another way to ask the question is: what is your children and grandchildren’s culture? Does their personal culture have a cult at the core? Do they believe in God, and do they know who he is, and does that knowledge evolve into a lived relationship with him and make any daily difference? That might be a good conversation to have with them: is there a cult in their culture?

Maybe you could have that conversation with them this summer on July 4th while you enjoy hotdogs and hamburgers. Why? Because before any true culture can declare its independence from other nations, it must declare its absolute dependence on God. We can learn a thing or two on Cinco de Mayo about the Mexican culture, and maybe even something about our own American culture.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Living by the Calendar

 

Emphasizing religious rather than secular feasts

04/29/2026

John 10:22-30 The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

Do you live by the calendar? What I mean is are you counting the days till the next holiday or vacation? I know I did as a school kid: we got out for a couple of days at Easter and the next break will be summer vacation. You may have already made plans for Memorial Day, then the 4th of July, and don’t forget Labor Day will come soon after that, and Thanksgiving is not far behind! Sometimes the holidays on the secular calendar dominate our lives and so we live from holiday to holiday.

Today’s gospel from John 10 begins by mentioning one of the holidays on the Jewish calendar, namely, the Feast of the Dedication. We read: “The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter.” Now, what did the feast of the Dedication commemorate? Back in 164 B.C. the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes had desecrated the Jerusalem Temple and altar, and the Maccabees had led a revolt to expel the Greeks and rededicate the Temple for sacred purposes. It is also called the feast of lights or Hanukkah because the Temple’s seven-candle menorah was relit.

In a sense, the Jews also lived by their calendar: not from secular holiday to holiday but from religious holy day to holy day. How so? Well, they celebrate three major pilgrim feasts in which they had to travel like pilgrims from wherever they lived to Jerusalem: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. But in addition to these major pilgrim feasts they also observed minor feasts like Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and today’s feast of Dedication. Just like school children in America go from Spring Break to summer vacation, so the Jews lived by their calendar from holy day to holy day.

Being aware of these milestone feasts is especially important as you read the gospel of John. Why? Because in a sense John’s gospel also lives by the calendar and details events of Jesus’ life occurring during different feasts. John makes a point to explain to the reader (you and I) it was Passover, or it was Tabernacles, or today, it is the Dedication. But for John, Jesus did not come simply to celebrate the Jewish feasts, he came to replace them with himself. Henceforth, these feasts would not point to past events – like the Exodus, or the law at Mt. Sinai – but to what Jesus has done and continues to do today and forever.

My friends, I think we Catholic Christians should also live by the calendar. Now I don’t meant jumping from holiday to holiday – Memorial Day to July 4th – but from holy day to holy day. It’s kind of funny but I guess Roman Catholics, like ancient Jews also have 3 pilgrim feast when they travel to the temple (the church) each year, namely, Ash Wednesday, Easter, and Christmas. That’s the only days of the year some Catholics darken the doors of a church. But the same Catholics would never miss a celebration on the secular calendar. How ironic that holidays are sacred and holy days are optional.

On the feast of the Dedication, the Jews celebrated the expulsion of secular powers that had desecrated the sacred temple and the Greeks had actually made it a gymnasium. In other words, the Greeks wanted to replace the sacred with the secular, while the feast of the Dedication observed the opposite: the Jews replacing the secular with the sacred. Now, please don’t misunderstand my point. I am not advocating for prayer in public schools or placing the 10 Commandments in every public school classroom. The public domain should be free from any particular religious expression or dominance, which is the gist of the First Amendment.

What I am urging, however, is that our hearts should be the home of prayer and where we place the 10 Commandments. And our lives should reflect the priorities in our hearts. I couldn’t disagree more with people who say, “I don’t have time to go to church.” That statement is simply not true. We always make time for what is important to us. People should rather say – if they are honest – “Going to church is not important enough for me to make time for it.” We all live by the calendar. We jump from holiday to holiday, or from holy day to holy day. It’s just a matter of what’s important to us.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Your Report Card

Learning how to be a leaders at church and home

04/27/2026

John 10:11-18 Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

One of my favorite authors on leadership is John Maxwell. Many years ago my brother introduced me to him and suggested I read a book called “Developing the Leader Within You.” John Maxwell has one simple definition of a leader. He writes: “Leadership can be summarized in one word, ‘influence,’ namely, influencing people to follow you.” Then he gives this humorous corollary: “If anyone thinks he’s a leader and doesn’t have any followers, he’s just going for a walk.”

We can apply Maxwell’s simple leadership principle to Jesus in today’s gospel. Is Jesus a good leader who influences others to follow him? Oh yes. He’s not just going for a walk, but as the Good Shepherd he leads his sheep into green pastures. And today we learn he takes the final step of true leadership and lays down his life for his sheep. Another catchy saying of Maxwell’s summarizes Jesus’ leadership style: “A leader knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Jesus is the ideal leader because today he has over one billion followers.

I have learned after 30 years in the priesthood that leadership in the Catholic Church can be further specified beyond simply influencing followers into 3 unique categories. That is, Catholic leaders, specifically pastors, are called to be priests, prophets, and kings. In the Old Testament these three offices were divided among different people. The same person never presumed to be all 3, priest, prophet, and king. When Jesus arrived, however, all three positions were rolled into one, namely, into our Lord and Savior.

Jesus alone is the perfect paradigm of a leader and fulfills the offices of priest, prophet, and king par excellence. We human pastors, by contrast, can perform one or two tasks well, but never all three. Have you noticed this about your pastors? I don’t mean just here at I.C. but also the pastor of our diocese, as well as the pastor of the universal church. We might call these three offices of leadership a pastor’s report card. He might make an A in one or two subjects, but he will invariably make a C or D in the third subject.

Now, what do these three positions do so we can grade our

pastors accurately according to the criteria of Catholic leadership? A priest is a leader who introduces us to the sacred, especially in the sacraments. You have probably noticed some pastors are very natural around the altar, at the baptismal font, in the confessional, and at the hospital bed. Those pastors who help you feel particularly close to Christ when they celebrate the sacraments would get an A in the office of being a priest. Not jus the priests who say the fastest Masses.

The second subject of a pastor’s report card is being a prophet. Think of St. John the Baptist, the greatest and last human prophet. A prophet, therefore, is the pastor who preaches the hard truth, the unpopular truth, the truth that makes people squirm in their seats and say, “I’m going to Mass somewhere else (like Barling), where I hear what I want to hear.” A prophet pushes us out of our comfort zones and silences our echo chambers so we can hear what Jesus has to say on any given issue. Only an unpopular prophet earns an A on the pastor’s report card.

And the third subject is being a king which requires a host of skills of management, budgeting, coordinating schedules, people skills, mentoring, casting a vision, planning for the future, etc. By the way, this role of king is what they least prepare us for in the seminary, and why most pastors tend to be poor administrators. Can you think of any of your pastors who hated to be in the office and complete the daily grind of office work and paperwork? Administration is not the sexy part of being a pastor, but it is a third of his leadership role, and why most Catholic pastors probably get poor marks.

This threefold description of leadership – priest, prophet, and king – can be applied to all leaders, including parents who must lead their families. Oh, now we’re talking. Think about your mom and dad, or look at yourself in the mirror as a parent. What kind of grades would your children give you first as a priest? Did you introduce them to the sacred by family prayer and Sunday Mass, and reading the Bible and family rosary? What grade would you get as a parent who must be a priest to your family?

How about fulfilling your role as a prophet to your family? Did you teach, preach, and push your children to choose the hard road or did you let them follow the easy and wide road, the path of least resistance? And how did you fare in being a king or queen and administer your household, your domestic kingdom? Some parents neglect their boring and banal domestic chores so they can do the more sexy stuff, like plan parties, vacations, shopping sprees, etc. What grade would you get as a king or queen?

Folks, leadership is not just for a few people who run countries, companies, and churches. We are all called to be leaders. And we should look to Jesus for the model of perfect leadership and attempt to emulate him who alone is the flawless priest, prophet, and king. We all fall short as leaders - no one fulfills all three offices perfectly - so at this Mass as we come forward to receive Holy Communion may the Good Shepherd help us to be better shepherds and improve our grades on our report card.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Sniffing Jesus’ Finger

 

Seeing how the sacraments point to grace

04/13/2026

John 3:1-8 There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?" Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

I believe C. S. Lewis’ rather obscure essay, “Transposition” can shed considerable light on Nicodemus’ dilemma in the gospel today. You should read that essay one day before you die. At root Lewis’ explanation requires giving more than “one meaning” to some common experiences. For example, young people these days use the slang word “Bruh,” which originated from “Brother,” but now means a close friend or to express disbelief, frustration, or shock. You see easily enough with “Bruh” how one word can carry more than one meaning.

C. S. Lewis uses the better example of the art of drawing. He writes: “The problem here is to represent a three-dimensional world on a flat sheet of paper…we must give more than one value to a two-dimensional shape. Thus, in a drawing of a cube we use an acute angle to represent what is a right angle in the real world. The very same shape which you must draw to give the illusion of a straight line receding from the spectator [think of railroad tracks reaching the horizon] is also the shape you draw for a dunce’s cap.”

I hope this is not too much to ask of you at a 7 a.m. Mass before your second cup of coffee and a donut. But I trust you can detect that in some important instances we can find two meanings for the same experience. Lewis offer this additional humorous example: “You will have noticed that most dogs cannot understand pointing. You point to a bit of food on the floor: the dog, instead of looking at the floor, sniffs at your finger. A finger is a finger to him and that’s all.”

So, I’m praying that at this early morning Mass you are smarter than a dog or a dunce, because you need to be in order to catch precisely the difficulty in Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus. Jesus speaks of Baptism and says, “one must be born from above.” But Nicodemus hears the word “born” and immediately retreats to his simplistic understanding of natural birth and answers: “Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Nicodemus might just as well as have said, “Bruh, that’s impossible!” and sniffed Jesus’ finger.

And this exchange of a two-level conversation is not a one-off in the gospel of John, but is its veritable leitmotif, the golden thread that runs from the first to the last page. For example, here in John 3, the dual meaning revolves around being born as a pointer to Baptism. In John 4 Jesus discusses with the Samaritan woman how water is a pointer to the Holy Spirit. In John 9, Jesus helps the blind man understand the dual meaning of seeing as a pointer to faith.

In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus and teaches the double meaning of sleep as a pointer to death and waking to eternal life. And finally in John 19 at his crucifixion, Jesus’ agony and death serves as a pointer to true glory. In each and every case, therefore, Jesus is pointing to a deeper meaning of earthly experiences – birth, water, sight, sleep, and suffering/death – and hopes we don’t just come and sniff his finger like a dog or a dunce.

My friends, dealing with dual meanings is not just a difficulty that C. S. Lewis and Nicodemus had to wrestle with, but one that confronts every Catholic Christian. How so? Every sacrament uses ordinary human experiences to point to an extraordinary supernatural reality. The washing of Baptism points to the removal of original sin. The anointing of Confirmation points to the anointing of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The eating of bread at Mass points to the eternal banquet of heaven. The joining of the bodies of bride and groom point to the consummation of the world at the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

This difficulty might also explain why so many Catholics leave the Church, maybe your kids have. We become so obsessed with facts that we no longer care to look into their meaning. When moderns speak of Baptism as being born again, they (like Nicodemus) immediately retreat to the natural, normal experience of human birth, “just the facts, ma’am.” And fail to use their faith to see the deeper significance symbolized by the facts.

The modern mentality sniffs at the finger and doesn’t understand the notion of pointing. Too many modern Christians prefer to reside at the level of facts, or even on the level of feelings (attending churches that make them feel good), and refuse to rise to the level of faith. Like the dog and the dunce we cannot see how “The very shape which you must draw to give the illusion of a straight line receding from the spectator is also the shape you draw for a dunce’s cap.” In other words, come to the sacraments and stop sniffing Jesus’ finger.

Praised be Jesus Christ!