Magnificat Reflection on Parenting: "Christ's Own Forever"

My thanks to Magnificat for allowing me to republish the following reflection, which I originally wrote for their column “She Pondered These Things in Her Heart” (January 2017).  

"Christ's Own Forever"

A beautiful thing about ritual is that the words of our rites often echo in our minds when we need them most.  Raising four children in a world of conflicting voices can be a daunting task.  When my husband and I worry about the choices our children could make and the harm that might come to them, the words that reverberate in my mind and heart come from an old baptismal rite, one I heard many times in my own youth:  You are marked as Christ’s own forever. 

Releasing our children into the hands of God is perhaps the most difficult and the most liberating thing we can ever do as parents.  We begin at their baptism by marking them as Christ’s own.  It seems so easy when they are babies dressed in pure white!  But as they grow – as they form their own ideas, opinions and lives – we realize this “release” is a process that lasts a lifetime.  It is a prolonged exercise in trust, for we must trust that if we let go – if we release the anxious grip we have on our children – that he will catch them!  He will hold them in a protective embrace that does not restrict them in the least.  He will sort out the mixed messages in their hearts and penetrate his gaze into the deepest, truest parts of their souls.  Only God can do these things.

Our children are growing up in confusing times.  But we have given them over to be Christ’s own forever.  And in that simple act, if we can really do it, we too will be free.

For subscription information visit http://us.magnificat.net/home.

Sunday's Gospel: Those Countercultural Beatitudes

The following is republished with permission from my column in Catechist Magazine.  For subscription information, visit Catechist.com.

JAN. 29 , 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Gospel Reading: Matt. 5:1-12a

This week we have the familiar teachings of Jesus known as the “beatitudes.” Beatitudes are blessings, and they were common expressions in Jewish writing. For example, Proverbs 8:32 reads, “Happy are they who keep my ways.” As is the case in this verse from Proverbs, the word “blessed” is sometimes translated as “happy.” The blessed one is the happy one, the one whose life is governed by God’s will and wisdom.

Having heard these verses so many times, we often forget how surprising they were and how countercultural they still are. Wouldn’t it have been more logical for Jesus to say blessed—or happy—are those who have everything they need, who have nothing to mourn, who own things, who have land? Aren’t these the people that God has blessed? Aren’t these signs of their prosperity and favor with God?

A major thrust of Jesus’ ministry was to dispel these myths about the supposed connection between worldly prosperity and God’s favor. The wealthy are not prosperous because God loves them more than he loves the poor. Those who are heartbroken have not displeased God. Those who are sick or in pain do not deserve their plight due to their own sin or the sin of their ancestors. Instead, Jesus says, God loves those who are suffering—the poor, the marginalized, those who are hurting. They are blessed— happy—because they are God’s special ones. If they turn to God in their poverty, their mourning, their lowliness, their hunger, they will be satisfied by the abundance of God himself.

As you can imagine, Jesus’ teachings not only comforted the poor and suffering, but they disturbed the wealthy and prosperous. Suddenly their complacency and self-assuredness was dislocated, thrown off balance. Jesus challenged the notion that their wealth and status were automatic signs of God’s favor. Jesus the teacher strikes again: soul-searching required all around.

NOTE: You may have noticed the letter a at the end of the biblical citation for today’s reading (Matthew 5:1-12a). The letters a and b (sometimes even c) are used to indicate the first half (a) or the second half (b) of a Scripture verse. (The letter c is used when the verse is easily divided into thirds. John 1:1 would be an example of this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”) Matthew 5:12a indicates that in today’s Gospel reading, only the first half of verse 5:12 is included.

ASK YOURSELF: Which of the beatitudes resonates most with me right now? Why? What is Jesus promising me or asking of me?

ASK YOUR STUDENTS: Which one of the beatitudes from today’s reading is hardest to understand? Why? Which one is special to you?

PRAY: Jesus the teacher, may your ancient words fall on fresh, fertile ground and change me.

LIVE THE GOSPEL: The beatitudes challenge us to see each other differently. This week seek out someone who is suffering in some way— poor, sad, lonely, ill. Treat them with the comfort, mercy, and peace Jesus promises in the beatitudes.

Elsie Anna Wood, Illustration from The Sermon on the Mount, by Elsie Anna Wood. Courtesy Sacred Art Pilgrim.

Are You in a Prayer Rut?

Save-the-Dates for Lent:

Is your prayer life in a slump?  Do you pray the same way every day?  Or do you find it difficult to pray at all?  Would you like to learn some new prayer techniques from within our rich Catholic tradition?  Join me for a Lenten Day of Reflection: “Prayer: An Invitation to Friendship with God” (Sat., Mar. 18 at Caritas Christi in Hamden).  We will talk about what prayer is, discuss approaches to some of its natural challenges, and explore some specific techniques for praying that you may have never tried.  We will take time to pray and to discuss our experiences.  Each participant will leave with a packet of prayer ideas and a new perspective on how to spend time in God’s presence.  For more information, see Upcoming Programs or this flyer.

Another Lenten program I’m really excited about this year is a collaboration with the amazing choir at my home parish of St. Ann in Milford, directed by Peter DeMarco.  If you’ve never heard the St. Ann choir (they sing on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. and also have concerts throughout the year), please come and be inspired!  “Be With Me, Lord: An Evening of Music and Reflection for Lent” (Mon., Mar. 27, 7 p.m.).  The choir will sing, and I will offer meditations.  See Upcoming Programs for more information.

January Publications:

For readers of Magnificat and St. Anthony Messenger – keep an eye out for my articles this month!  My Magnicat reflection (“Christ’s Own Forever”) is about the challenge of allowing God to take care of our children so we can stop fretting over them.  My St. Anthony Messenger article (“I Will Remember for You”) is about our communal memory as a people of faith, and how at times our own faith memories can sustain the faith of others.  If these print publications become available online, I will be sure to share them with you!

A New Parish Resource:

For those of you who are Catechetical Leaders or members of various small groups in your parishes, I wanted you to be aware of a wonderful new parish resource.  Little Rock Scripture Study is publishing a new series called “Alive in the Word.”  Unlike the longer Bible studies typically offered by Little Rock, this new series consists of 3-session booklets that are available at a reasonable cost and are super-flexible in their use.  They can be used by individuals, or in small groups (meeting for 3 sessions) or even for a retreat day.  Titles out right now include topics like Mary, Moses, Mercy and Trust.  I’m working on one for Lent that will be available Lent 2018.  You can find out more and view sample pages at:  www.aliveintheword.org.

Now if you've put up with my announcements (sorry, I have to do it once in awhile!), the least I can do is offer you something interesting and beautiful to look at and maybe even meditate on.  Please see an explanation below the image.  Thanks as always to John Kohan at Sacred Art Pilgrim.

Sadao Watanabe, Christ Carrying the Cross, Stencil Print.  "This hand-colored stencil print on mulberry paper of Christ carrying the Cross was a personal favorite of Japanese Graphic Artist Sadao Watanabe. In a culture that had earlier embraced the compassionate teachings of Buddhism, Japanese converts to Christianity were drawn to the image of a God who suffered alongside them rather than the remote and judgmental Father God of the Western Christian tradition. Adapting a cloth-dying technique from the Okinawan Islands using hand-cut stencils and resist paste to make images on paper, Watanabe masterfully creates a Japanese vision of Christ, the God who has humbled himself to become man, falling to his knees under the weight of the Cross he has chosen to bear on his shoulders to redeem humanity. There is a hauntingly wistful and tender expression on Christ's understated, mask-like features. This Japanese Jesus gracefully turns his broken body to look back at those who are sending him to his death with both sorrow and forgiveness. His arm is draped over the upright beam of his means of execution, transformed with decorative patterns by this one-time designer of kimonos into an object of beauty. Divine love triumphs over hate in a scene of surprising harmony and tranquility" (John Kohan).  Courtesy sacredartpilgrim.com.

What Is the Kingdom of God?

The centerpiece of Jesus’ preaching ministry was the bold declaration that “the time is fulfilled” and “the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk. 1:15).  In fact, Jesus said that preaching this message was his purpose for coming (Mk. 1:38)! 

But what is this kingdom of God?

God’s kingdom is best understood not as God’s place but as God’s reign.  The reign of God means that God is in charge, God’s ways have embraced all creation.  To put it simply, God’s reign means that God is present. 

When we hear this, we may be confused or even skeptical.  The time is fulfilled?  The reign of God is at hand?  God is present?  Sometimes it sure doesn’t seem like it.

When preaching the kingdom of God, Jesus simultaneously calls for repentance (Mk. 1:15).  Repentance is much more than sorrow for sin – it is a genuine change of mind and heart, a total reorientation of our lives.  But before we can repent, before our lives can change, we must first learn to see and believe in God’s reign in our world.  We must be open to possibilities beyond (or deep within) what we can see, smell, touch or hear.  We must look at our world with the most charitable eyes and the most sensitive hearts.  We must believe that God has drawn near.

If we do not live this way, with this kind of hope and openness, then we do not live in God’s kingdom.  We live in a kingdom of our own making.  And the kingdoms we make are small and confining.  Our own reigns are weak and always leave us wanting more.  But if we can listen to Jesus – there was never a bolder preacher – and believe the good news, the gospel, he declares, then we will learn to see God drawing near.  The reorientation of our lives will naturally follow.  And God will be all in all.

Charles Plessard, Gouache on Paper, Courtesy Sacred Art Pilgrim.  Heureux means happy.

Epiphany Prayer

Like the magi, we want to bring Jesus gifts.  But what gifts should we bring?  We should bring him what he wants the most.

Lord Jesus, I lay before you the gold of my sins and weaknesses, the incense of my painful memories and relationships, and the myrrh of my fears and anxieties.  These do not seem like gifts fit for a King, but I offer them to you from the treasure-chest of my heart, knowing that you wish to transform and redeem them.  I come to you open, empty and vulnerable; be a quiet, loving, saving presence in me.  Amen.

Anne Koken, color linocut.  Courtesy Sacred Art Pilgrim.