My Truth is Right

 

I believe that is a summary of why many younger people today are acting as they do, and with conviction.  I think those same words may also be seen in the Catholic understanding of truth, as it relates to the sacrament of Confession.  To the degree you were not aware or did not believe what you did was wrong or sinful, your culpability is lessened.  You can’t be sinful if you did not knowingly sin, is one way it is sometimes put. 

I can look back now, from my old age, and see that when I was their age I often thought as the youth today do.  I was intelligent, and when tested was usually right.  And my intelligence was materially rewarded and respected.  But I can look back now and see two key points I didn’t see (and wasn’t taught??) then.  The first is that, like the Confession caveat, you can’t know what you don’t know.  I was intelligent, but there was much that I did not know, that would take me years to know and thoroughly understand --- particularly the results of my actions on others.  I knew my truth was right but it was only right as far as I knew, but only through years of further learning did I come to understand how larger truths encompassed mine; mine was not the total reason for things.  I once read that, mentally and physically, human beings are not mature until around the age of 25.  I think that is approximately the age when a person BEGINS to relate his knowledge to others, and to the past knowledge of the world.  And even more importantly, to the wisdom of the world.

They say with age comes wisdom.  There is truth in that in that wisdom is not something which you can learn, like book learning, but is an assimilation of facts and experiences your mind considers, facts and experiences which occur over years.  The Roman Senate were counselors to Caesar, and you had to be 60 years old to be a senator; you had to have lived, and accumulated wisdom.  And up to now I’ve only been talking of human wisdom.

There is also a spiritual wisdom.  Spiritual wisdom answers the most important questions of man, which SHOULD drive his actions.  Why do things of the earth operate as they do?  Who made the rules of science?  Is there a God?  Why am I alive, now?  Who is God, and why did He uniquely create me (don’t forget, no man can EVER plan a pregnancy, it may be attempted, but only God can positively, on every try, create life; God created you and me.). 

I grew in years to see and ponder and pray over these bigger questions, always seeking greater physical and spiritual wisdom.  That is how one grows in wisdom and holiness.  In one way I can’t blame the youth of today for thinking their truth is right; I did also.  But I can see that I used my truth to impact people around me --- and can look back and see that my imperfect knowledge and wisdom seriously hurt some people --- VERY seriously hurt some, and for that I am now sorry.  Today’s youth, however, are using their truth to try to change our country; many more lives will be impacted by their actions than my actions ever did.  In my youth, I permanently impacted some lives in horrible ways as I imposed my truth on them.  I fear for what is now being imposed on our country by youthful, unwise actions, led by those who think they know the WHOLE truth, and with the support of so many adults, who believe they are making their children happy and loved, agree with their actions.  Young who are unwise; young who don’t know God, act as if they were God, knowing all truth and imposing it on others who don’t see in their imperfect ways.  They believe they create life, and so therefore can destroy it.

I pray for our youth and our country.  We are God’s children and so, despite how sure we are of our actions, at some point any parent will correct their child, which is why my prayer is also for God’s mercy.   

Only God’s truth is right.

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I had a personal experience with this “My Truth is Right” earlier this week, when a package I had shipped via UPS was returned.  The UPS store I had used for many years recently closed, and so I had shipped the package via another local UPS store, who called me about the return.  “The address was wrong,” they said.  I went and picked up the package and took it home, checking the address of my niece in Idaho and confirming that the ship-to address on the package was in fact hers, and I double checked it against my Christmas card list.  Same address.  So, I went back to that UPS store and noted that the address was in fact correct; the prior UPS store I had used had shipped to that address for many years, my Christmas cards mailed to that address did not come back, so the U.S. Postal service could find that address, and finally I offered to let them speak to my niece who said she has lived there for over 30 years, at that address.  But, the youthful UPS clerk and the other young people there agreed, the UPS driver had said the address did not exist; and they could not re-ship to a bad address, and finally, no, I could not get a refund.  It was my fault.  They knew the truth.

I took the package to Fed Ex, who assured me they would make the delivery (and they changed me $1 less that the UPS rate).

Life is a Gift

In a recent talk, Fr. John Riccardo laid out the facts regarding what might happen after a pregnancy.  He noted that the law says you may not murder a person.  He noted that science says that the early stage of development of a human being is in the body of the mother, even as a later stage might be in a nursing home.  The question, as Fr. Riccardo noted, is: When is a human being not a person, so that killing it is not murder --- and who decides that?  Based on what?

That was a well-done presentation regarding the life (or death) of a young human.  It is a huge emotional discussion in our society today, abortion, but it is all emotional, despite the science and law being the factual bases, as Fr. Riccardo explained.  I think the Catholic Church, at this time, needs more.  God needs to be involved in discussing the facts, even when stated to atheists, because God created a key fact, and God brings Love into the discussion. These, I believe, are the 3 key points of the discussion:   

1)      1.) The Precipitating Event.  This is what enabled the pregnancy --- a rape, incest, a Saturday-night fling, or a loving husband and wife having sexual relations.  Some of these precipitating events are horrible, evil things, and the new mother suffers because of the memory.  She must be loved during this trial, even if in some way the sufferer bore some of the blame for the event.  “Love God and Love Neighbor” is our command, which has no qualifiers, nor is the self-giving love it calls for limited by the giver’s emotions.  Helping the new mother get past those memories is most important.  And then, there are those trying to get pregnant and unable, and these too need our love and consolation as they wait for an event which may not happen.

2)      2.) The Moment of Pregnancy.  When human sexual relations occur, science shows that despite all efforts to enable pregnancy, it often does not occur.  It is not within man’s ability to plan a pregnancy moment.  Only God plans and gives the moment of new life.  An “unplanned pregnancy” may perhaps be so-termed by man, but it is not so-termed by God.  Creation of a new life is no mistake of God.

3)      3.) Pregnancy; A Growing New Life.  Perhaps the most well-known “unplanned pregnancy”, in man’s terms, happened to a virgin named Mary, and despite all the subsequent horrible material events of that new life, His life was a gift of God, to all man-kind.  And that “unplanned pregnancy” is celebrated around the world.  When God gives life which man did not plan for, it should be accepted as a gift, and celebrated as a very personal gift, a gift to you from God.

In summary, terrible events or frivolous events may have contributed to the creation of a new life, but that life is itself a gift of God (even if we don’t see it as a gift, yet).  If we didn’t expect that gift, if it changes “our” plans, it may be hard to celebrate, but gifts of God --- especially life --- are given for a reason.  Most developmentally disabled young people are described as loving like no one else, and a great gift to their families.  It’s hard for man to get past some unplanned events; he responds with suffering, sadness, but God gives life because He loves.  Life is a huge gift, and should be appreciated as such.

I think that the teaching of the Catholic Church these days must encompass these 3 events, and again emphasize that greatness of God’s love, and His gift of life is the ultimate expression of that love, even if we find it hard to understand.  “See how they love one another” was the hallmark of early Christians imitating Christ, even in their great sufferings.  I believe we can get past the “abortion feelings” of today if we can put God’s love to the forefront of all discussions with our neighbor.  When tragic events happen to our community, or unplanned gifts occur, we need to react with love.  No person is right or wrong beyond our ability to love them.  And if we’re acting as we should, we won’t need any signs to explain who we are.  They’ll see how we love.

God needs to be at the center of the Church’s responses to abortion.  We need to focus any discussion on abortion on love.  God loves the mothers.  God loves the children.  We will love them as God does.  There should be no discussion on what the Church believes; it’s actions should speak loudly.

 

Letting His Light Shine

On the way to church last Thursday, the radio announcer said: “This is Thursday, the day we (Catholics) pray the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary”.  I hadn’t prayed them in a while, so I decided to do so.  At church, as I prayed and fingered the rosary beads, I read along some meditations I had written years ago, and once again felt their depth.

1.       The Baptism in the Jordan
-  Cleanse my heart, O Lord, and I shall be clean.
-  The Spirit descended on God’s Son, and the Father was pleased.
-  Lord, show me Your Light; send me your Spirit.

2.          The Marriage Feast at Cana
-  Jesus was invited to be present; do I invite You into my life, Lord?
-  “Do whatever He tells you,” Mary said.
-  And His disciples believed.
-  Lord, be a light in my darkness.

3.       The Call to Conversion
-  I need to listen.
-  Every person I meet may be You in disguise, calling, needing me, or just loving me. .
-  Lord, prepare my heart.

4.       The Transfiguration
-  He showed us who He really was.
-  And He shone like the sun.  Lord, am I a light in this world?
-  Then the Father spoke: “Listen to Him.”

5.       The Institution of the Eucharist
-  Sometimes, You seem so ordinary; Lord help me to see Your Light,
-  He is my food; He gives me life.
-  “I will be with you always,” He promised.
-  Lord, fill me with Your Light.

As I reflected on these words, it came to me that they were very personal words, prayer, private conversations, His Presence.  I felt His Presence last Sunday, but my reflections then were on earthly matters, God explaining and reminding me of His plan for His people and the world, plans which we often find upsetting --- and so we want to do things our way.  Last Sunday, He explained to me how His plans for each individual life were better, but often not even sought, much less understood.  But Thursday night I think we spoke of a much bigger picture.

The Luminous Mysteries are not focused on the material world, but on the Spiritual world, where He has always existed and so shall we.  We grow up with bodies in a material world, but if we are growing in our relationship with Him, we are beginning to mature in the Spiritual world, where we will never die.  He said to Love God and Love neighbor, but He did not mean just the physical person.  His Spirit, His grace is in everyone.  Loving neighbor is not just that physical being, it is the Spirit of God which exists in each of them, and us.

Sometimes You seem so ordinary; Lord, help me to see Your Light

If I look and see His Light, I will see the beauty of each person which He has put into my life, whether by my plan or His, and I will love them.  And He will be pleased.

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The reflection below lay in my notebook for weeks.  It kinda fits here now:

 

I Am Not Alone

If you hunger for holiness, God will satisfy your longing, good measure, and flowing over.

In various ways, it seems of late I am hearing of the importance of having a personal relationship with God.  Not the God of Sunday worship, or even the One of my daily masses and my nightly visits to the chapel.  Those are focused visits to His house, most often reflecting on His words --- which are very good things, but I mean more.  In John He said to: “Love the Father, and to love your neighbor --- as I do.”  He is not talking about those things for only when I visit His house.  In fact, loving my neighbor is only really accomplished when my neighbor feels that love, which usually means when I am in his presence, perhaps in HIS house.  To love “AS I DO” is putting on the heart and mind of Christ --- which is a mountainous goal, OR, it is talking to Him in any situation and asking: “How should I love here, Lord?”  Based on my personal experiences, when I ask and try to do what I perceive is what He’d want me to do, it is never too difficult.  The key is being humble enough to talk to Him, friend to friend, “What do You think I should do?”  And, if He is our most trusted friend, He’ll be happy with your efforts, and consoling in any shortfalls.  That’s what real friends do.  So, that command to love is best suited by first making Jesus our friend, and then we’ll understand how to love our neighbor a whole lot better.

Making Jesus our friend begins with conversation/prayer, anytime, anywhere.  He’s always with us, and we need to act like He is.  And from these beginnings will come trust:  He REALLY IS always with us.  And with that “sense” of His presence, loving God and neighbor becomes a whole lot easier, because we are not doing it alone.  He’s right there with us.