Deacon Dan Wright

To Struggle Against Sin

In my previous post I wrote regarding bloodshed.  Interestingly at the time I had not yet looked at the readings for today and how the shedding of blood is a prominent feature in both the first reading and the gospel.

Many are the times in my life that I have considered the passage from Hebrews today "In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood."  However, never have I considered it in light of the gospel story we find today in Mark of the woman with the hemorrhages.

When we consider sin, either in our lives personally, or that great darkness that threatens our world in its many guises, we may look upon it on several levels, though I don't intend to offer an exhaustive analysis.  The message is clear.  Our sin bloodies us, that is, it stains our lives, yet not one of us struggles to the point of shedding blood to resist it, though shedding blood has a conspicuous place in our history.  Sin is the great wound that afflicts humanity--it is our hemorrhage.  For healing we must look to the gospel.

Clearly, the message is faith.  Only having faith will resolve the issues that we face, both as individuals and as a people altogether--as a world.  We must put our faith in the one who did resist sin to the point of shedding his blood (cf. Lk 22:44).

Placing all our trust in the will of God, we let go and offer our woundedness.  We give it to our Lord, speaking the name of that which troubles our lives most.  We find that place where we keep vigil with him in the garden, knowing that only he has the power to save us and to save our world.

Fighting For Peace: When Will the Bloodshed Cease?

(01-29) 05:29 PST BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) --

Iraqi officials claimed Monday that 300 militants were killed in a battle between U.S.-backed Iraqi troops and insurgents allegedly plotting to kill pilgrims at a major Shiite Muslim religious festival. Bombings and mortar attacks targeting Shiites elsewhere killed at least 15 people.

The Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said the raid on Sunday was targeting a group called the Jund al-Samaa, or Soldiers of Heaven, and the group's leader and foreign fighters were among those killed.

Al-Dabbagh declined to give more details, saying information was still being compiled.

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Yesterday morning I awoke to news of greater bloodshed in Iraq.  As I read that 300 had been killed, I found myself asking why and how.  I was struck with disbelief.  Coincidentally, the growing need for Catholics to take a strong stand for peace and justice was fresh on my mind, though I had decided after a busier than usual Sunday to take a day away from writing--otherwise there would have been a Monday post on the matter.

It hadn't been that long--really only a matter of a few hours--since I had just finished having a conversation with a priest friend of mine on the topic of peacemaking.  "I had a difficult time after Mass last Sunday," he told me,  "Several parishioners stopped to complain to me about my homily.  Many told me that it was inappropriate, disrespectful, and insensitive."

"It couldn't have been that bad?", I asked.  I knew that I had personally given more than one poorly received homily over the past few years, but rather than confront me face-to-face my detractors simply called the pastor to complain or said nothing at all.  I inquired further of my friend.

"Well, you see I spoke on peace and justice," he said, "and I explained that we had entered a time when fighting for peace is no longer right," he continued.  "We now must offer peace instead."  He went on to explain how he had been told that making anti-war assertions was disrespectful to the families of those who are serving in the military in Iraq.  He told me that he tried to explain his position.  "We must understand that in a global community the concern for the lives of the innocent must reach beyond our particular interests."  I couldn't help but believe that my friend had been challenged on the matter partly because he is not a US citizen, but is a missionary priest from Mexico.

I encouraged him to continue in his stance, "What you believe requires courage.  Don't be moved to state something otherwise." "Your position on the matter," I said, "is the traditional Catholic stance of peacemaking."

It is true that many families in the parish have sons and daughters serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.  I try to be mindful, as we all should, of their feelings, especially when those feelings are fear or anxiety for the lives of their loved ones.  The same is true for my co-workers in the public school system whose children serve in the military.  I feel for them and I empathize, but I cannot agree with them. I must remain true to my conscience.  My long-held believe is that every human life is sacred, and thus war, especially modern warfare, is a great injustice.  Therefore, I allow my belief, that is, my faith in the God of life, to inform my position.  I pray that my children be kept from the horrors of war, just as I recall my mother praying that I would escape having to go to Vietnam, and yes, I am political about it.  My faith informs my politics as well.  We cannot sacrifice our children and others to the idol of world power.  Offering peace means giving peace; it means handing our enemies an olive branch.

To truly "fight" for peace is to do so without violence.  We must strive for peace even as we strive to be holy in our mortal bodies.  We strive with our homilies, prayers, written words, demonstrations, attitudes, and in countless other ways that say "no, I will not make war, and neither will I tolerate it." We must pray and work diligently for the safety of every human being, male and female, born and unborn, soldier and peace worker.  War must end...for the love of all that is sacred to us.

Here's a song I posted last summer.  I think it makes for a fitting reflection again.

Friday Reflection on the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus

To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” Mk. 4:30-32

Faith is a marvelous thing--marvelous in the sense that when we see it in its true and genuine light, it captivates us,  and simultaneously it liberates us--it takes only a little bit of it to do great things and to overcome the greatest obstacles and challenges.  Certainly, the saints whom we remember today faced great obstacles, as we glimpse in Paul's admonition to Timothy that he bear his share of hardship. 

The small amount of faith needed to accomplish a tremendous task prevailed and wrought a great miracle: the Word of Life has spread throughout the world.  While it is the faith of these early missionaries that we celebrate specifically, we also celebrate faith as we live it today.  Timothy and Titus stand for us as icons of faith--of a way of life--and so we incorporate the same drive and force, which has the power to lead us to the victorious overcoming of those things that hinder and stand in the way.

Faith doesn't fail, but sometimes we fail faith.  Notwithstanding, times may come when situations seem overbearing--life can have its "just too much" moments.  Yet faith is able to deal a death blow to the enemies of God.  The true hope is in God's promises to us, and they are the source of our ability to overcome evils that which in retrospect will appear as far lesser compared to the reward that awaits.

I stongly advocate turning toward God in such a way that those things that threaten our ability to be fruitful disappear.  We are to be courageous in such a way that we need not look behind us at whatever hindered or burdened us.  God has won a great victory over the injustices of the enemy, and our part now is to carry on with forward-looking eyes and bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Reflection on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’
And he said to me,
‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’                  Acts 22:6-8

There's no way that I could let a feast as meaningful as the Conversion of St. Paul escape without saying just a little.  It has to do with what a great importance that Paul has had in my life over the years.  It is easy to reflect back 30 years or better to the times when I first started reading Paul's writings.  Interestingly, as I first read the New Testament letters of St. Paul as a teenager,  I recall that the pages of my bible had the peculiar odor of bread.

Indeed St. Paul's teaching has guided and fed the Church since the beginning--he abandoned himself in God and thus allowed himself to be the instrument of the Holy Spirit who spoke through him.  To countless generations the words of the Apostle have been bread for the journey.

It's only natural for a convert to have a special relationship with another convert, but this doesn't have to leave anyone out.  We should all be converts--without conversion from sin, that is, conversion of the heart toward goodness, how can we come to know God?  St. Paul is the best example we have of a person who would have said that there was no way he needed to convert from or to anything.  He had his religion and he went about it authentically, though he was blinded by what he thought he knew to be the will of God.  However, God has a way of butting in when it comes to an error as serious as the one that Paul was making.

Today's feast gives us food for thought.  What is it that God wants different in your life?  Is there something that needs to be taken away or something to be added?  If the answer is no, that's a sign of inner trouble.  Perhaps rather than thinking in terms of what there is to convert or turn away from, think what there is to become.  My prayer is that we become instruments of God's light in a world that tends to grow increasingly dim.  True conversion should always have the objective of becoming something greater than what we are now, though such becoming often involves letting go of what we stubbornly hold on to as the only truth--it's the "but that's not where I am now" argument.  I doubt that the comfort of where I am now will see a lot of conversion.

A Long and Difficult Journey

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The search for Christian unity is a long and difficult journey because it is a process of repentance and humility, Pope Benedict XVI said.

At the same time, he said, over the past 40 years God has given Christians "broad spaces of joy, refreshing pauses, from time to time allowing us to breathe freely the pure air of full communion."

At his weekly general audience Jan. 24, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Benedict offered a list of the ecumenical encounters he had in 2006 which he said provide proof of progress in the search for unity among Christ's disciples.

The pope listed his meetings with leaders of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the World Baptist Alliance and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as well as his meetings and prayer with the spiritual leaders of the Anglican Communion and the Orthodox Church of Greece and his visit in Turkey with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

Continue reading...

I have held out hope for a long time concerning the issue of Christian unity.  I can remember nearly 10 years ago believing and hoping in the possibility that the Lord's prayer for unity might be answered.  What a great sign it would indeed be!

Undoubtedly there have been signs of hope and encouragement along the way.  Regardless of how far-fetched something might seem, if we don't at least try to believe, try to pray and to act for unity, then there cannot be hope for unity at all.  Like many things in the environs of faith, unity seems to depend mostly on us.  Christian action reflects both individual and collective responsibility.

It may be that we must face forces that despise the idea of Christians being one, but such forces tend ultimately to fail when they are met with faith.  The key to unity is twofold--open, honest, frank, dialogue or discussion, along with its difficult theological and doctrinal ironing out, has to occur.  Then secondly we must be willing to work together in a common cause first.  I have long believed that before meaningful dialogue toward unity can take place, separated Christians--on both sides of the separation--must at least recognize the commonality of their being Christian and then work together to achieve an agreed upon task.

The great value of interfaith organizations has to do with community building activities where Christians of all denominations work toward a common cause.  If we cannot yet be one in doctrine then at least we should be one in specific causes--at least it's a start.

Thanks Be To You

At first I considered perhaps having a blog-free Wednesday.  It was a rather busy day altogether yesterday, and each Tuesday evening my wife and I serve the children of our parish as catechists.  After finishing at the church and stopping by the grocery store for dinner and school lunches it was already nearly 10 p.m. when we arrived finally at home.  Still, there's never a Tuesday evening complaint.

Of all the things that I do, the least difficult, actually the most rewarding to my soul in many ways, is serving in a way that I know ministers to others.  It makes the late night not seem to be inconvenient in any way. I also feel that it's important to share this with others--to pour out my heart whenever I find the time to do so.  Thus, I share here with those of you who visit regularly, or who find me through various searches.  You see, for me it's all about sharing the greatest love that a human being can ever hope to know.

When we share from our souls we never know when someone might find our words to be just what was needed to get them through a difficult day.  Difficult days are often common.  It's the residue of original sin that makes work seem to be less than the joy that it should be.  I certainly have my less than perfect days, but I try not to despair or to lose hope when things don't go well.  The reality of life in the world can take on proportions that we never realized in our youth.  However, through it all I try to see a connection between the here and now and eternity.  Right now, this world is still my home, so I rejoice in the work that God has given me.  I trust in the master's great plan, and I offer thanks--it's still all about being in love with God.

Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the blessings and benefits which you have given me, for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.  O merciful friend, my Brother and Redeemer, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day, day by day.  Amen -- St. Richard of Chichester

Food for Thought: A Recipe for Success and Happiness

Tonight I was impressed by the short reading for Evening Prayer, which I found on Universalis.  Allow me to share it with you.

Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil. Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other. Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit. If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying. Romans 12:9-12

If only we might keep this message in mind--perhaps memorize it, so we could act on it frequently--what a difference it would make.  In this short passage we find the greatest recipe for success ever written.  Just a little food for thought.

The Science of Doing Good

We have the answer that faith gives us, and now it appears the question is being approached by science.  Why do people choose to do good?

(HealthDay News) -- People may not perform selfless acts just for an emotional reward, a new brain study suggests.

Instead, they may do good because they're acutely tuned into the needs and actions of others.

Scientists say a piece of the brain linked to perceiving others' intentions shows more activity in unselfish vs. selfish types.

"Perhaps altruism did not grow out of a warm-glow feeling of doing good for others, but out of the simple recognition that that thing over there is a person that has intentions and goals. And therefore, I might want to treat them like I might want them to treat myself," explained study author Scott Huettel, an associate professor of psychology at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, N.C.

He and lead researcher Dharol Tankersley, a graduate student at Duke, published their findings in the Jan. 21 online issue of Nature Neuroscience.

For decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have puzzled over the tendency of humans to engage in altruistic acts -- defined by Huettel's group as acts "that intentionally benefit another organism, incur no direct personal benefit, and sometimes bear a personal cost."

Experts note that altruism doesn't seem to provide individuals with any survival edge, so how and why did it evolve?

Read more here (no subscription needed on this one)

This takes me back to an old idea--God created us good, and we have learned to share goodness with one another out of being connected to one another.  It's a part of being a societal human to do good, that is, it's part of living on a level of sharing meaning, purpose, and value with one another.  Goodness is the stuff that depth of being is made of.  I like to say that good is synonymous with God, and certainly it's not a bad thing if science is discovering that there's good in us.

Advice Worth Repeating

A friend sent me a link to an article by email. I liked what it has has to say, so I thought I'd share it with you...

How do you know when you are being mistreated (and should do something about it), or if you are taking things too seriously/personally?

The easy answer: If one person makes you defensive, then that person is probably bad for you; if nearly everyone does, then you're probably bad for you.

You can be "bad for you" in two general ways: by seeking out relationships with highly critical people, or by taking even the most harmless remarks as criticism. Or both, I suppose, if you like your maintenance high and your relationships testy.

Both, however, share the same source. Insecurity. The fact that people are different from you — in habit, taste, culture, faith, sense of humor, sex drive, intellect, income — is not personal. It's not an insult when people don't change to please you; it's not an insult when you can't change to please someone else. Even people close to you.

If you like and accept who you are, you aren't going to fear other people's differences, or your own, as a threat. You can handle a few negative reviews.

But if you have doubts, other people become reflections of those doubts. They become the critics you need to impress to show yourself you're OK; they become the people with "potential," the ones you hope will validate you by learning to do things your way; they become the abusers who feel right and familiar and comforting because they share your low opinion of you.

Continue reading here

A Step in the Right Direction

Following a high level meeting on China, the Vatican has called for dialogue to restore ties with Beijing severed 60 years ago, announcing that Pope Benedict is to write a special letter to Chinese Catholics.

In a statement, the Holy See said it wished to "overcome misunderstandings of the past" with Beijing, which does not allow Chinese Catholics to recognise papal authority.

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For a long time I have felt that the situation for Catholics in China needed attention.  Normalizing relations with the Vatican will go far, not only concerning Chinese Catholics but for establishing ties with the Chinese government during a time when the need for dialogue on peace is greater than ever.