You Stupid Darkness

Lighting the candle of Christ instead of cursing the darkness

12/25/2017

Luke 2:1-14 And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy  that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

              In 1960 John F. Kennedy gave a speech accepting the nomination of the Democratic Party to run for president of the United States. In that speech he used a wonderful phrase that maybe you’ve heard before. He said: “We are not here to curse the darkness but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future.” As you know, Kennedy was elected later that year and became the 35th president of the United States in 1961.

                Now, not everyone agrees with that proverb to light a candle instead of curse the darkness. In one of the Charlie Brown comic strips, Charlie Brown runs into Linus who is carrying a candle at night. Charlie Brown asks him, “What’s this?” Linus answers: “I have heard that it is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.” Charlie Brown replies, “That’s true, although there will always be those who will disagree with you.” In the last frame we see Lucy yelling at the night sky: “You stupid darkness!”

               Now, when God is the one who faces the darkness, which of those two do you think he does? Well, the Scriptures record two dramatic instances when God did face darkness and what he did about it, at the moment of the “old creation” and the moment of the “new creation.” The first instance occurred in Genesis chapter one. We read in verse two: “The earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters.” This condition of dark, formless abyss in Hebrew is called the “tohu wa-bohu.” What does God do when confronted by the tohu wa-bohu”? He does not say “You stupid darkness!” No. Rather, in verse three we read: “Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light.” That is, like President Kennedy said in his speech, God prefers to light a candle rather than curse the darkness.

               The second instance occurred in the gospel narrative we just heard describing the first Christmas, the moment of the “new creation.” Do you remember when the Baby Jesus was born? It was at night, and that wasn’t by accident. St. Luke records: “Now, there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (emphasis mine). In other words, Jesus is born at night because he is the Light that has come to dispel the darkness just like his Father did at the beginning of the old creation. Again, notice that God does not yell, “You stupid darkness!’ at the tohu wa-bohu. He lights a candle, the light of Christ. This is why Catholics traditionally attend midnight Mass – and usually sleep through it! – because it highlights (pun intended) how God deals with the darkness: not with a curse, but with a candle.

                By the way, have you noticed how God does this every year? Think about it. When do we celebrate Christmas every year? Obviously, on December 25. And when is the daylight shortest – the shortest day – during the whole year (at least in the Northern Hemisphere)? It is December 21, called the “Winter Solstice.” In other words, every year we taste a little of that primordial tohu wa-bohu, that “formless darkness” that covered the earth in the beginning. And once again, God says dramatically “Let there be light!” He sends his Son, Jesus as a candle lit in the darkness, and every day after December 25, the light gradually increases. In other words, every year, nature itself reminds us how God scattered the darkness both in the “old creation” and in the “new creation,” by lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness.

              My friends, sooner or later we all face our own tohu wa-bohu, that is, we confront moments of darkness, despair, discouragement and doubt. We may be tempted like Lucy to yell, “You stupid darkness!” and I admit, it’ll probably feel pretty good when you do. But we should also remember what God did in those two epic moments when he faced the darkness: he lit a candle; he sent the light of Christ to dispel the darkness. Always ask yourself: what can I do to bring the light of Christ into this dark situation? Perhaps you can say a prayer, maybe you can give someone a hug, utter a word of encouragement or hope, share how you’ve faced your own struggles in the past, just let people know they are not alone, remember how hardship contributes to holiness, etc. Now, the one thing you are not allowed to do is to say, “Go talk to Fr. John, he’ll take care of your spiritual darkness!” No, this is your job as a child of the light. As our Evangelical friends are fond of repeating: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” The extremity of our darkness is God’s opportunity to light a candle.

             I hope this doesn’t sound too audacious to say, but I am convinced that because you are a child of God, you too can say with confidence and conviction, “Let there be light!” with your words and your actions and your attitude and thereby scatter the tohu wa-bohu that surrounds you and that envelops those you love. You will be practicing the family pattern of behavior – like Father, like Son. It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Asset of Poverty

Letting the poor teach us how to be spiritually rich

12/24/2017

Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

             I’ve already opened some of my Christmas presents, and I have to tell you about the most unique gift I’ve received. Someone sent me fifty different lottery tickets that were the “scratch off” kind. Have you seen these? Maybe they felt a little less guilty about buying them because they were gifts for a priest! One was called, “Win It All!” (but I didn’t win anything), another “Holiday Cheer,” (which didn’t make me very happy) a third kind was “Fast Money,” (but it was very slow money), and the last one was called “Lucky Numbers” (but mine were very unlucky). I don’t know how much they spent on fifty lottery tickets, but I won a grand total of $27.50. So, I think I’ll take half of today’s collection and buy as many tickets as I can, and see if I’m “feeling lucky” like Clint Eastwood said. I’m sure the bishop won’t mind at all.

              Now, what do most people say they will do with the money if they win the big jackpot, say a million dollars? Most people have told me they will donate half of it to the poor. Little do they know that after Uncle Sam takes half of it in taxes, they’ll only be left with half the jackpot. Nevertheless, there is something noble and well-intentioned in thinking about helping the poor. Our love and concern for the needy should always be paramount, especially when we realize how blessed we are. However, here’s the sad fact about scratch off lottery tickets. About three out of four tickets are bought by people with below average incomes, that is, most lottery tickets are bought by the poor. In other words, you may give half of that money back to the poor, but three quarters of that jackpot was given to you by the poor in the first place. Winning the jackpot isn’t the best way to help the poor.

             In the gospel today, God shows his own predilection for the poor, how he loves them, and we need to learn to love the poor like he does. God sends his angel to Mary, who was arguably the poorest person in Israel in virtually every respect: socially, economically, politically, legally and even personally. Socially, she was unmarried and so considered more like property than a person. Economically, she had no possessions and too young to own anything in her own name. Politically, she was a woman, so she would never wield authority or power outside the home. Legally, being unmarried meant she didn’t have the protection of a husband and no standing in court. And personally, she had no life experience, she admitted to the angel Gabriel, “I have no relations with a man.” Mary was poor in every sense of the word.

          Only in one sense was she “not poor,” namely, as Gabriel explained: she had “found favor with God.” In other words, God loves the poor, and that love is precisely what makes them rich, and being loved by God makes them richer than all the billionaires in the world combined. And the poor are able to receive God’s love for them because they don’t have anything to distract them like material possessions. Because Mary had nothing else to clutter up her life, she had plenty of room for God’s love. In a sense, you could say Mary’s greatest “asset” was precisely her “poverty.”

                My friends, may I suggest to you that our love for the poor should have an entirely new orientation and motivation (not just buying more lottery tickets and promising to give half to the poor)? What do I mean? Well, our love for them should not be motivated by false feeling that they only need us; but rather, by the clear conviction that we also need them. Indeed, we need them more. To be sure, we need to help the poor with our material resources, as Jesus explained in Matthew 25: “I was hungry and you fed me, I was naked and you clothed me, etc.” But no less urgent – in fact more so – is what the poor can provide for us: a greater openness to God’s love and mercy. We have to learn from the Blessed Virgin Mary that our greatest asset may surprisingly be our poverty. That’s when we win the predilective and preferential love of God. Why? Well, because there is less stuff to get in the way of his love.

                 It is in this sense that I invite you to understand the need to have a wheelchair ramp in our church. The handicapped are also “poor” not economically-speaking, but physically-speaking, and they need our help. I believe that assisting those who cannot climb steps will also be a criterion of Matthew 25, even though it is not explicitly stated: “I was handicapped and you built a wheelchair ramp for me.” But I would suggest to you, that we need them even more than they need us. How so? Well, we need them to teach us how their “physical poverty” becomes a “spiritual asset” opening them to God’s love, like Mary’s poverty opened her to God’s love. In other words, we need them to have better access to the church, not just for their benefit, but for ours! You could almost put it this way: the poor are like “spiritual financial advisors” who can help us attain that great asset of poverty.

                My friends, what do we celebrate at Christmas? We celebrate that God became a man and dwelt  among us. True enough. But we also rejoice that God became a poor man, indeed even a helpless, vulnerable Baby born in a barn – poor in every sense like his mother was – in order for him to embrace as fully as possible our own poverty. Why would God do that? The Catechism answers: “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods” (Catechism, 460). And by the way, that kind of wealth is worth more than winning all the lotteries in the world.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Always a Bride

Grasping the Church’s deepest identity as the Bride of Christ

12/23/2017

Luke 1:57-66 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John."  But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name." So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him."

           Have you heard the common expression “always a bridesmaid, never the bride”? It means you’re always the “runner up” but never the one who wins the prize. This expression doesn’t just refers to weddings, but to any individual who fails to achieve their ultimate goal, like an NFL football team that never wins a Super Bowl. The poor Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills have made it to four Super Bowls but never won. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride: because they’ve never worn the Super Bowl “ring.”

            This phrase can also be applied to men in a wedding with a little modification. We might say, “always the best man, never the groom.” I served as the best man in my brother’s wedding many years ago before I was ordained as a priest. I was given only one job in the wedding, and it was a crucial one. I was the keeper of the rings, and after the vows were exchanged, I was to hold the rings while the priest blessed them. Well, I could tell my brother was nervous, so I thought I would help him relax by playing a practical joke on him. When he turned to me for the rings, I pretended that I couldn’t find them in my pockets, and wore this alarmed look on my face. I thought my brother was going to punch me in the face, so I quickly pulled out the rings. I mean, what’s the point of a wedding without a little drama?

            In the gospel today, we see this is the exact role of John the Baptist: always the best man, never the groom. His father, Zachariah, declares his name will be John. You’ll remember this was the same Zachariah who was struck dumb by the angel Gabriel for questioning his message. But after he names him “John,” Zachariah’s tongue is loosed. The gospel states: “All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, ‘What then will this child be? For surely the hand of the Lord was with him’.” In the gospel of John (the Evangelist) 3:29, John the Baptist himself answers this question about his identity, saying: “The best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete.” In other words, St. John the Baptist could say like no one else in all human history, “Always the best man, never the Groom!” But that was also John’s greatest joy: to announce the coming of Christ, the coming of the Bridegroom.

              But this analogy or metaphor, like all analogies, also sort of “limps” in that it is not entirely accurate. Why? Well, because at the end of the day – indeed, at the end of all days – we are not meant to be a bridesmaid, but rather the Bride, the Bride of Christ, the Church. Listen to how the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Church’s deepest identity: “The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb” (Catechism, 796). In other words, we could say the exact opposite of that old expression is truer than the expression itself: “always a bride and never a bridesmaid.” I hope this might give some comfort and consolation to all women who are without a husband: to single women who have never married, to widows who have lost their husband, to divorced women, even to those who are married but still feel very alone, and even a nun in a convent. You are not doomed to be forever “always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” That is not your fate, because that is not your faith.

              What we celebrate at Christmas is not only the birth of our Savior, but we also celebrate the birth of our Bridegroom. Why? Well, because we are never just a bridesmaid, but we are always the bride.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Hidden Homilies

Being attentive to the signs drawing us closer to God

12/20/2017

Isaiah 7:10-14 The LORD spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

            I’m afraid that my homilies maybe becoming stale lately. Why is that? Well, more and more people are sending me “homily helps.” One person sent me some jokes by email saying, “Maybe you can use one of these in your homilies” apparently, my humor needs a little help. Another person said, “Come see this children’s movie with us, perhaps it will come in handy in a homily.” Other people recommend books I might be able to quote in a homily. Apparently, several people think I need some help with my homilies! And these people are right, the homilies can stand some improvement and I welcome their homily helps.

             But I also enjoy the fact that people are beginning to see that there’s a sort of homily hidden in everything. That is, everything in creation can be used as a sort of catapult to help the creature get closer to the Creator. A homily helps Christians to grow in their faith using story-telling and pulpit-pounding, examples and illustrations, metaphors and megaphones. People who send me homily helps are unwittingly understanding what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the “analogy of faith.” The Catechism urges, “Be attentive to the analogy of faith. By ‘analogy of faith’ we mean the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation” (Catechism, 114). In other words, in all of creation, especially with the articles of faith, we find an inner coherence, a deep connectivity, that allows us to more between one and the other, and ultimately of God. Put it simply there is a homily hidden in everything.

            In the first reading today, the prophet Isaiah offers King Ahaz a little homily help, too. He says on behalf of God, “Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be as deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” By “sign” Isaiah meant the analogy of faith, where all creation serves as a super sign ready to catapult the creature into the arms of his Creator. There is a homily hidden in the nether world as well as high in the sky. But Ahaz turned down isaiah’s homily helps. Nevertheless, Isaiah says: “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” In other words, the greatest homily help in all human history would be the Incarnation, where God would become a man, the Word world became flesh, in the womb of a Virgin. King Ahaz needed some homily help as much as I do, it seems.

                My friends, today try to catch the hidden homilies all around you, that is, as the Catechism said, “Be attentive to the analogy of faith.’ First and foremost pay attention to the simple but significant signs of the sacraments: bread and wine, water and oil, male and female. The sacraments can catapult you from creation to the Creator. Be attentive to the stories of the saints: their struggles and sacrifices and successes – which also serve as hidden homilies that can strengthen your faith and virtue. Be attentive to the Bible, the great drama of the love story between God and humanity in two great Acts – the Old Testament and the New Testament – that also brings us in closer contact with the Creator. Be attentive to meals and marriages, to babies and birthdays, to songs and suffering, to pains and problems. Why pay attention to all these things? It’s simple: because there’s a homily hidden in everything, and you don’t have to come to Mass to hear one.

              Gerard Manley Hopkins, the great 19th century Jesuit poet wrote in his celebrated poem, the Grandeur of God, these lines: “The world is charged with the grandeur of God, it will flame out like shining from shook foil.” I want to thank all of you who have sent me homily helps lately, because you have shaken the foil of the world for me.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Stand and Look

Patiently looking, watching and waiting for the Lord

12/17/2017

John 1:6-8, 19-28 A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, "Who are you?" He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Christ." So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?" He said: "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'make straight the way of the Lord,'" as Isaiah the prophet said."

         Recently, I’ve gotten to know a retired cardiologist here in Fort Smith named Dr. Taylor Prewitt. Have you heard of him? A few months ago, he asked me to help him in a major campaign for Methodist Village, and so naturally, a little later I asked him to help me in a major campaign for Trinity Junior High School. He gave me a nice donation, and I said a nice prayer for him on my rosary. I’ll let you figure out who got the better end of that deal. Dr. Prewitt did, of course!

             Last week he graciously gave me a copy of a book he’d written, called A Towering Stack, which is his review and reflections of seventy-eight books he has read over four years. Apparently, retired cardiologists have a lot of time on their hands! The first book he reviewed was on appreciating art, entitled Always Looking, by John Updike. Dr. Prewitt observed that Updike has a talent for looking at art with profound patience, even lingering to look at pieces that may appear ugly to others, and he is richly rewarded for his patience. Prewitt writes: “The casual visitor [to a museum]…merely glances (as I sometimes do) at works that are not immediately appealing. Here we are reminded by a professional in another field the rewards are there for the taking for those who are willing to stand in place and just look. You don’t always have to wrestle with the angel” (A Towering Stack, 4-5). Remember how Jacob had to wrestle with an angel in Genesis 32 before he earned the blessing? In other words, patiently looking enables you to penetrate below the surface appearances of things and glimpse the greatness hidden underneath.

             In the gospel today, we see another instance where patient looking would have paid huge dividends. The opening pages of John’s gospel begins with a question about the identity of St. John the Baptist. John the Evangelist’s literary artistry paints the John the Baptist as a mysterious figure: living alone in the desert, feasting on locusts and honey, dressed in camel’s hair and a leatherbelt. John didn’t exactly cut the figure of a priceless work of art in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. They were tempted like Dr. Prewitt said, to “merely glance at works that are not immediately appealing.” And so it’s no surprise that the same Jewish leaders impatiently interrogate John, asking, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” You can almost hear their impertinence tience and aggravation. John only gives them an indirect answer: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord’.” In other words, learn a little patience, look, listen, repent of your sins, and wait on the Messiah. If they had looked patiently, they too would have reaped “the rewards [that] are there for the taking for those who are willing to stand in pace and just look.” But they were impatience and impetuous and the missed both the Messiah and his forerunner. You do not always have to wrestle with the angel to receive the reward.

         My friends, if there’s one virtue that should characterize a Christian’s attitude and activity during Advent, it is patiently looking, waiting and watching, almost as if you’re walking slowly through the halls of a museum, where marvels and mysteries meet us around every corner. But unfortunately, we usually experience the exact opposite this time of year: rushing from one party to the next, trying to beat the traffic like a NASCAR driver, running to red-tag sales like sharks seeing blood at a feeding frenzy. Because impatience dominates our lives leading up to Christmas, we too might miss the Messiah like the Pharisees did because we could not “simply stand in place and just look.”

              You might wonder: what exactly should we patiently look at? Well, may I suggest the lesson that Dr. Prewitt learned himself, namely, as he said, how “the casual visitor…merely glances (as I sometimes do) at works that are not immediately appealing.” That is, don’t be so easily dazzled by the blinding lights, and the towering Christmas trees, and the beautifully bound gifts, that you fail to stop and also look at what might not seem as a priceless work of art: at the poor and at the homeless, at the paralyzed and at the uneducated, at the mentally ill and the elderly. Indeed, if the innkeeper in Bethlehem had not been so busy, he might not have turned away the poverty-stricken Holy Family who knocked on his door at midnight. And didn’t the Magi from the East have to teach the professional priests in Jerusalem how to find Jesus that first Christmas, like a Methodist cardiologist taught a Catholic priest in Fort Smith how to find Jesus today? Practicing a little extra patience this Advent leading up to Christmas will reward you richly because you will be able to find the Christ Child in unexpected places and in unlikely people, those are his favorite disguises. Don’t just give God a sideways glance.

             Dr. Prewitt concludes his first review on appreciating art by advising: “Sometimes you can just stay in place and keep your eyes open until you receive your blessing. It’s right there in front of you” (A Towering Stack, 5). Not bad theology, for a Methodist.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Art of Listening

Practicing listening well in conversations

12/14/2017

Matthew 11:11-15 Jesus said to the crowds: "Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

           The hard part of any conversation is listening rather than speaking. To be sure, speaking, too, has its own challenges and requisite skills, and it’s not easy either. But I am convinced that it’s harder to listen because people have a propensity to speak rather than to be silent. For example, some of you may already have stopped listening to this homily. Even though your eyes and ears are open, your mind may be wandering and wondering whether you will have sausage or bacon as a side for your scrambled eggs for breakfast after Mass.

            This past weekend, Fr. Matt Garrison celebrated the English Masses here. Several people said they enjoyed his homily, and they even quoted him saying that I had gone to Barling because I had tapped everyone for money here at I.C. That was a great line, but do you recall what else he said? We often don’t hear (or remember) the important things that someone says to us. Before I preach at Mass, I whisper this little prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit, help me to say what Thou woulds’t have me say. And help them to hear what Thou woulds’t have them hear.” Why? Well, because you have the harder part of the bargain of preaching; you have to do the listening. And I pray the Holy Spirit will help you hear well, not so much what I’m saying, but what He’s saying to you through me.

            In the gospel today, Jesus also knows the hard part of a conversation is listening. He explains that John the Baptist is Elijah, the Old Testament prophet, who all the Jews believed would return to announce the coming of the Messiah. But then Jesus adds this curious little line, saying: “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Now, presumably everyone present that day had two good, functioning ears. But Jesus knows it takes more than ears to hear; it requires attention and effort to focus on what someone is saying and really catch what they’re saying. Jesus knew some of his listeners were wondering what to have for breakfast that day.

             In your conversations with people today, try to practice the art of listening well. Let me suggest a few skills that may improve your ability to listen better, and make it easier, and even more enjoyable. Listen not only to what people say verbally with their words, but also non-verbally, with sign language. When you pay attention to body language – a smile or a frown, crossed arms or nervous twitches – you are sort of “listening with your eyes.” We all know we can listen with your ears, but did you ever think you can also listen with your eyes when people speak to you? Another skill of good listening is asking probing questions, like “How did that make you feel?” Or, “Can you tell me more about that?” or “Is there anything I can do to help you?” That demonstrates to your interlocutor that you’re really listening and paying attention. Listening well is invaluable in conversations with your spouse, with your children, with your parents, with your friends, and even with God.

              Today is the feast of St. John of the Cross, the great doctor of the Church and the fearless reformer of the Carmelite Order. Carmelite spirituality is essentially one of a heightened and holy listening to God, to develop a spirit of deep silence so that we don’t miss anything God says, verbally or non-verbally. Carmelites follow the advice that Eli gave to the young prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:10, who said when God spoke to him: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” And by the way, have fruit with your eggs, not bacon or sausage.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Best Rest

Loving the Lord and living easy and effortlessly

12/13/2017

Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said to the crowds: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

           Are you ready for your Christmas break? I bet you are. You have worked very hard this semester, and I’m very proud of you. It’s hard to go to a Catholic school because our expectations for you are high – as high as heaven! – so I’m not surprised if you feel like saying, “Man, I need a break!” Today, I want to talk to you about taking a break, getting some rest, but also about how to find the best rest. First, I want to mention three places we try to rest but don’t always find real rest. Then, I’ll describe the only way to find real rest. And since this is a Catholic priest talking to you, you can already probably guess what I’m going to say, that real rest can only be found in Jesus.

           Now, a lot of people think they’ll find the best rest when they sleep, or when they’re on vacation or when they finally retire from their jobs. And of course people do rest somewhat in sleep and vacations and retirement; those are good things and give us some rest. But they’re not the best rest. How many of you love to sleep? But have you ever tossed and turned in your sleep? Sleep promises rest but it cannot always provide the best rest. Many of you will go on vacation during Christmas break. Raise your hand if you’re escaping from the Fort this Christmas. But how often after a vacation do you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? Vacations can be exhausting, and so that’s not always the best rest. What about retirement? People can’t wait to retire from their jobs!  But then after they sit at home for a couple of weeks they go stir-crazy, and decide to come work here at Trinity Junior High! Isn’t that right, Mr. Hines, Mr. Charlton, and Coach Vitale and Coach Dickinson? In other words, you don’t find the best rest in sleep, or in vacations, or in retirement.

           In the gospel today, Jesus tells us that the best rest is found in him. And I love how he puts it. He says to his disciples (which includes us), these comforting words: “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Trinity students say: Hey, he’s talking to me; I’ve been laboring and feel burdened! But what kind of rest is he talking about? Will he let us lean our head on his shoulder and let us take a nap? No. Rather, he’s talking about loving him as our Lord and Savior, and when you love someone, nothing you do for them feels like work anymore. Have you heard the truism that goes: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”? In other words, when you love Jesus, nothing you do for him will feel like work, discipleship will feel easy and effortless, and that’s the best rest.

           A friend of mine said to me recently: “Man, I could never be a priest. That’s too hard!” I replied: “That’s because I love Jesus more than you do.”  I was just kidding, because I’m sure my friend loves Jesus a lot, too. But I do know that when I love the Lord, the sacrifices of celibacy and so forth seem effortless to me. William Blake, the 18th century British poet, wrote: “How sweet I roam’d from field to field, / And tasted all the summer’s pride, / ‘Till I the prince of love beheld, / Who in the sunny beams did glide” (Blake, “How Sweet I Roam’d from Field to Field.”) That is, in finding and loving Jesus, (the prince of love), do we find the best rest. Why? Well, because when you love what you do - especially when you love Love itself - you’ll never work a day in your life. You’ll have found the best rest.

           Boys and girls, if you want to find the best rest, don’t be fooled by sleep and vacations and retirement. Those are sort of “false prophets” of true rest; rather, fall in love with Someone or something and you’ll never work a day in your life. If you want the best rest, look for love. Is there anything you love to do? I was so sorry to miss the Agatha Christie murder mystery you performed recently, “Murder at the Vicarage.” I heard rave reviews. Do you love acting? Last night the band performed a Christmas concert. You guys did great. Do you love to play a musical instrument? Several weeks ago, I mentioned to Zander Lelemsis that he was really fast in cross country, but he replied: “Yeah, but I’m really looking forward to basketball.” I don’t mean to put words in your mouth, Zander, but it sounded like he really loves basketball. Maybe your passion is history or science or writing. But my point is this: find something that you love to do, and you’ll never feel like you have worked a day in your life. Your life will have been almost effortless.

           So, boys and girls, I hope you get some rest on your Christmas break, maybe a vacation, maybe catching up on some sleep. But if you desire the best rest, then fall in love, especially with Jesus. Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.” When your life is led by love, it will feel easy and effortless. That’s the best rest.

Praised be Jesus Christ!