Providing Soul Space

Following Jesus is a demanding business especially if we are to take it seriously.  It involves taking the road to Jerusalem, along with Jesus himself.  Jerusalem is the city where Jesus suffered, died and rose to new life.  It is a place of sacrifice and reward, of pain and joy, of failure and triumph, of agony and ecstasy.  It represents the Christian life.  But what does taking the road to Jerusalem actually mean in practice?

It means that we refuse to build our lives around material possessions.  Material possessions have their place but they must be kept in their place.  It is our relationship with God that is the true source of our satisfaction and security not what we own.  Our relationship with God cannot be destroyed. It is eternal.

It means that we stop living in the past.  Dwelling on old memories and hurts keeps us tied to the past and trapped in a prison of regret and anger.  It belongs to the Christian to hope. Jesus is leading us forward in hope to a better and brighter future.  In Jerusalem the tomb is empty.

It means that we stop making excuses for ourselves and for our lack of ability and talent.  Of course we are limited; yes we have weaknesses.  The Christian community is full of misfits!  The people Jesus chose to bring his good news to the world were a pretty motley bunch!  Jesus is not looking for perfection; neither does he expect us to be geniuses. All he seeks is our generosity and enthusiasm.  What Jesus wants is what we call heart. Heart is the kind of thing that on the sports field often makes the difference between failure and success.

Finally, it means that when it comes to making choices we put the cause of Jesus, the mission of Jesus, the work of Jesus, first.  In the way we choose to live our lives the values of Jesus, known as Kingdom values, must come before earthly values.

During Lent our Christian lives take on a greater urgency.  It is the time when we are invited to travel with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.

On Ash Wednesday the annual Christian fasting season, known as Lent, begins.  Most world religions have an annual fasting season.  The Christian one lasts for forty days and significantly coincides with spring.  There are many reasons why it is good for Christians to have the fasting season of Lent.  Here are a few.

Lent offers us an opportunity to start again, to make a new beginning.  Failing and falling are part of the human condition.  In the Christian view of life, failing and falling should never be a cause for despondency or despair.  The God of Jesus is a God of abundant mercy and radical forgiveness, a God who wipes out past failures and invites us to make a fresh start.  We should never be reluctant to begin again.  Indeed, our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. New beginnings are a necessary part of the Christian journey.  They are always life-giving.

Lent is also an ideal time to restore the balance in our lives.  Virtue is the happy medium, the golden mean.  But the golden mean is hard to achieve. There is a tendency in human nature to over indulge, to develop addictions, to abuse our bodies, to become overly preoccupied with work, to neglect important relationships, to put too much emphasis on our material needs and not enough on our emotional and spiritual needs.  Lent provides us with an opportunity to get back to a healthy diet – a healthy diet of food, of exercise, of relaxation, of prayer.  Restoring the balance in our lives helps us to sort out our priorities, to decide what is good for us and what is not good for us.

Lent is the Christian fasting season which means that it should be focused on Jesus who is the Christ.   There is really only one yardstick with which to measure the success of our Lenten fasting: Does it help us to become more like Jesus?  The heart of Christianity is not a rule of law or a code of behaviour.  It is a Person whose love we receive and whose life we seek to imitate.  Ultimately, Lent is about Jesus.  It is about Jesus’ vision of life, his values and the building of his Kingdom in the world.  Therefore, the best type of fasting we can do in Lent is the fasting that helps us pay greater attention to Jesus and move closer to him.  To use the language of St Paul, the goal of Lent is to get rid of the ‘old man’ who is the selfish me and to put on the ‘New Man’ who is the loving Jesus.

It is said that the natural resources of the earth can feed five times the current population and yet half the people of the world go to bed every night either under nourished or starving.  What is the main cause of world hunger?  Is it unjust structures?  Is it famine?  Is it lack of political will?  All these things certainly do not help.  It seems to me that the real reason why so many people in our world go hungry is greed, human greed.  The rich want to get richer, while the poor get poorer.

A number of years ago I spent a short time in Nigeria.  My sense of Nigeria then was of a country full of contradictions.  These contradictions were probably best summed up in a statistic offered to me at the time: Nigeria is one of the most religious countries in the world, but it is also one of the most corrupt countries in the world.  Nigeria has enough natural resources to provide its people with a decent standard of living.  But most of the money made from Nigeria’s resources is going straight into the pockets of her politicians many of whom are millionaires. The cause of Nigeria’s corruption is greed.

But let us look at our own so called western world.  What are the philosophies which drive, in fact dominate, western society today?  Capitalism and consumerism.  Capitalism is about making as much money as possible; consumerism is about spending as much money as possible.  Both philosophies promote greed.  Over the last number of years we have endured many public tribunals.  Most of these tribunals have to do with irregularities in our financial institutions and practices.  What is the reason for much of the dishonesty that has been exposed? It is difficult not to suspect that greed has a lot to do with it.

No wonder Jesus gives us all a strong warning: “Watch, be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns even when he has more than he needs” (Luke 12:15).  It is often said that money is the root of all evil.  One thing is sure. Money has the power to make us greedy and selfish.  Another thing is certain. We cannot take our money with us when we die.  It will be no good to us in the presence of God.  The only thing we can take with us into death is the love in our hearts.  This is all God will look for.  If our desire for money has made us selfish then we have condemned ourselves!

A few years ago I had a conversation with a man in his late thirties.  He told me that many of his contemporaries had no real source of guidance in their lives.  “They have no north star,” is the way he put it.  It is certainly true that there is a breakdown of trust in our society.  Many people have lost faith in the major institutions that have been the bedrock of our way of life.  We are missing a moral compass and things like consumerism, individualism and the social media are filling the vacuum. 

On the feast of the Epiphany, sometimes referred to as ‘little Christmas’, we meet three men known as the Magi who had the courage to follow a new star that appeared in the sky.  Their journey brought them to an unfamiliar place and to an unexpected discovery.  They found a child who had come into the world to offer its peoples guidance and hope.  So convinced were they of their discovery that their lives took a whole new direction and were given a new sense of purpose.  It is not surprising we are told that they returned home by a different route (see Matthew 2:1-12).

The truth is there is a moral compass to guide us.  We do have a ‘north star.’  This star is the person of Jesus discovered by the wise men in a stable in Bethlehem.  Jesus is the Word of God who came among us to speak the truth that sets us free. He is the Wise Man who inspires and guides us.  The teachings of Jesus provide us with meaning and give purpose and direction to our lives.     

Let’s not allow the failures of the Church and her ministers prevent us from hearing the message of Jesus.  The Church in her weakness may confuse and disappoint us, but Jesus will not.  He has words of comfort and hope, words that will change the way we see ourselves, other people and the world around us.  Peter once said to Jesus, “Lord, who else is there to go to; it is you who have the words of eternal life” (see John 6:68).  Jesus is still the only one who can offer us the message of eternal life. It is he who is our ‘north star.’

Horror gripped the heart of a World War I soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he could go out into the man’s land between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back. “You can go,” said the Lieutenant, “but I don’t think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away.” The Lieutenant’s words didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously, he managed to reach his friend, hoisted him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.  “I told you it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded.”  “It was worth it? Sir,” said the soldier. “What do you mean by worth it?” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead.” “Yes Sir,” the private answered, “but it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say….”Jim… I knew you’d come.”

This is a true and moving story.  It is a story about friendship.  It is also a story about the nature of compassion.  Compassion is more than doing deeds of kindness for people who are in need.  It is more than fixing people.  It is more than finding solutions for those who have problems.   In essence compassion is about being there for people without pulling back in fear or anger. 

Christmas is about compassion.  At Christmas we celebrate the birthday of Jesus.  In Jesus, God chose to enter into our human condition to be with us, to walk along side us.  When Jesus was born into our world, God not only became one of us, God also became one with us.  On that first Christmas God threw in his lot with us and risked facing the terrible consequences.   The God we proclaim at Christmas is a God who is truly compassionate.  Christmas is a good time to say to God, “Because you are compassion, we knew you’d come!”

We all need some hope in our lives.  People look for hope in different places.  One place to look is the Gospel.  During the few weeks into Christmas we celebrate the season of Advent.  The season of Advent is often called the season of hope.  So what kind of hope does Advent offer us?

Advent is clear that no matter what we are going through, no matter what difficulties and problems we are dealing with, things will eventually get better.  Sooner or later things will improve.  There is a brighter future.  According to Advent, God will see to it that the good will win out, that light will dispel the darkness, that rough ground will become smooth.  The reason for this hope is the utter fidelity of God.  God is faithful to His creation, especially to His people.  God is not going to abandon what God has created and redeemed.  The coming of Jesus into the world is proof of that.

Advent also reminds us that we do in fact already possess a treasure. This treasure is not a treasure made of silver and gold.  It is the treasure of love and it is to be found inside us.  Inside us there is a Presence living and loving.  This Presence is the Presence of Unconditional Love. Because of it we do not need to look for happiness in things outside ourselves, in things like possessions and work and the approval of other people.  Because of it we can love ourselves as we are and grow in self-worth.  The greatest love of all is to be found inside.  Advent invites us to look for it there without fear. 

According to Advent another source of hope is in fact our dependency.  We must be willing to seek and accept the help of others, including the help of Jesus.  Going it alone and attempting to sort out our problems by ourselves does not work.  This is called self-sufficiency and it is a form of pride.  We need others and they need us.  We also need Jesus.  There is something liberating about our willingness to acknowledge that we are helpless and powerless.  This is the foundation of the AA recovery programme.  It is also the basis for creating real community between people.  And perhaps this is what we need more than anything else as we face the future – a recovery of the sense of community.  We are here to look after each other, not just to look after ourselves.  When our lives are built around genuine care and concern for others then there is always hope.

During the season of Advent we are reminded that the Jewish people had to wait for the coming of the Messiah.  Indeed, during the season of Advent we are drawn into the experience of their long years of waiting.  God makes his chosen people wait for the fulfilment of their longings.

Waiting is a holy thing, but it may not be an easy thing, or a popular thing.  Our contemporary culture has no time for waiting. It is an instant culture; instant food, instant coffee, instant communication.  We want everything now, immediately. This puts our contemporary culture at odds with the spiritual life.  The spiritual life is a process of waiting.  Spiritual growth does not happen overnight.  There are no microwave mystics, no instant saints.  Spiritual growth is a gradual process.   It takes time, a lot of time.  It involves patience and it involves perseverance.

We say that God’s ways are not our ways.  It is also true to say that God’s time is not our time.  In Advent we are being invited, like the Jewish people, to wait patiently on God to fulfil his plan for us, in us; for me, in me.  We see this spirit of waiting in John the Baptist, one of the great Advent figures. John sent messengers to Jesus to ask if he needs to continue to wait: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Luke 7:19).  Jesus assures John that he has to wait no longer.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.  John’s waiting is over, and it has been rewarded.

Why God makes us wait for what is good for us is not easy to understand.  Perhaps it is one of those mysteries that we may just need to accept. What is true is that waiting increases our desire and kindles our longing.  It makes us grateful and helps us to appreciate what has been given to us.  It also deepens our trust in God and the deeper our trust in God the freer God is to work in us and through us.

During the month of November the Christian community remembers the dead.  We rejoice with the saints in heaven and we pray for the souls in purgatory whom we call the Holy Souls.  Remembering our dead in November is a good thing; it is good for the dead and it is good for the living.  In the Christian view of life the living and the dead continue to be present to each other.  They also continue to influence each other.

Of course our focus on the dead during the month of November is also a reminder to us that we too will die one day.  We have here no lasting city.  Our true homeland is in heaven.  God’s other world beyond the grave is our destination and our destiny. 

With its focus on heaven the month of November gently challenges us about our readiness for death.    When we meet Jesus as Lord face to face in death will we feel comfortable and at home in his presence?  At the time of death will the Lord feel like a friend or a stranger.  If we want to be ready to meet the Lord in death we need to do what we can to become familiar with him in life. 

There are a number of things that can help us to become familiar with the Lord.  One is prayer. Prayer is our communication with the Lord.  Communication turns strangers into friends.  St Teresa of Avila describes prayer as an “intimate conversation between friends.  It is taking time frequently to be alone with the one whom we know loves us.”  Making even a little time frequently to be alone with the Lord, the one who loves us the most, helps us to acquire personal knowledge of him; and personal knowledge of the Lord is what we seek and desire.

Then there are the scriptures.  Perhaps one of the questions the Lord will ask us at the hour of our death is this: ‘Did you read my book?’  If we find ourselves saying ‘no’ then the Lord may insist that we spend our purgatory reading the Bible!  The Bible known as the scriptures is the Lord’s book.  It is the Lord’s story.  It is the Lord making himself known to us, sharing himself with us, opening his heart to us.  In the Bible we discover who the Lord is and who we are.  The scriptures bring us into direct contact with the Lord.  They are a source of encounter with him.  If we are to become familiar with the Lord it is necessary to spend some time reading the scriptures and to do so in a prayerful way. 

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”(Mark 12:17). Jesus is clear.  We have a responsibility to the State and we have a responsibility to God.

Our responsibility to the State has to do with justice.  As citizens we have rights and we have duties, we have entitlements and we have obligations.  We give and we take, we put in and we withdraw, we contribute and we receive, we pay our takes and we claim our benefits.  Not to pay our taxes is exploitation of the State and unfair to other people, our fellow citizens.  Not to pay our taxes is unjust practice.

We also have a responsibility to God.  At its most fundamental our responsibility to God is based on the fact that God is our Creator.  God made us.  God gave us the gift of life.  God brought us into being and continues to hold us in being.  God is also our Liberator.  In Jesus, God has saved us from the destructive power of evil and death, from annihilation.  Our primary responsibility to God therefore is to acknowledge God as our Creator and our Liberator and to thank God for the gift of life and the gift of salvation.  This in fact is what we do when we celebrate the Eucharist.  The word Eucharist literally means thanksgiving.

If our responsibility to the State has to do with justice, our responsibility to God has to do with love.  The truth is our responsibility to God should be motivated by love.  God’s motive for creating and liberating us is love, pure unconditional love.  To believe this, to know in our hearts that God loves us passionately, leads us to love God in return.  Love begets love.  What God wants with each of us is a loving relationship.  If our faith is built around a loving relationship with God then we will naturally and spontaneously give back to God the things that belong to God.

Jesus once told a story about two men who went to the temple to pray (see Luke 18: 9-14).  One was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee prayed, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like everyone else, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here.  I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.”  The tax collector’s prayer was very different. He simply said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The Pharisee approached God with full hands.  His hands were ‘heavy’ with his own good works. He was proud of his achievements, achievements he was using to justify himself before God and to make himself better than others.  The tax collector’s attitude was very different. He came to God with empty hands. He realised that he had little or nothing to show for his life.  He knew he depended entirely on the mercy of God.

Jesus leaves us in no doubt about which of the two men’s prayers he prefers.  Jesus loves the attitude of the tax collector because the tax collector comes before God with empty hands.  We need to be reminded that the spiritual life is God’s work in us.  The spiritual life is less about what we do – our efforts, our good works, our achievements.  It is, instead, more about what God does in us and through us.  Concretely, it is about us our willingness to let God work in us and through us.

Therese of Lisieux wanted to appear before God in death empty-handed.  Here is how she expressed this desire: “In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works.” Against the background of a theology of merit and a religious practice of requirements and rewards this was a brave and prophetic thing to say. Therese had come to know in a personal way that all is grace, all is gift, all is given.  Like her, we too need to accept that God’s love and mercy are unconditional. We do not need to ‘earn’ love and mercy by our good deeds. They are free. It is God who saves us. We do not save ourselves.

To accept God’s love as gift, not achievement, we must learn to surrender.  Unfortunately surrender does not come easy to us.  We have all kinds of resistance to it.  The spiritual life could be described as a process of breaking down our resistance to surrender.  This process happens in all sorts of ways, not least our experiences of failing and falling.  Whether or not we choose surrender, in the end God will see to it that we come before him with empty hands.