Jim Mahoney's Blog - Sacred to Etc.

Can Jesus Be Really Serious About Forgiveness?

Most of us have problems with forgiveness. The nature of life is that we are supported and we are done in - and occasionally by the same people. But there are some people who really get to us. this is one of the vagaries of the human condition that I would like to give away to someone else.

This weekend, the Gospel was about forgiving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you. Forgiveness is tricky, yet Jesus holds it out as a clear criteria for being welcomed home by God. Easily a hundred people talked to me after the Masses this weekend to mention that the homily described themselves. We all need to do better - and to aim higher.

This morning, I came across an article that the Jesuit, Jim Martin, wrote about this weekend's readings. His insights are so incredibly good and helpful. I hope that it will help you. Just click here. 

 

This Parishioner Was Clearly a Saint

Once in a while, I want to share some of the greatest privileges of my life - knowing people who clearly are saints. Over the years, even decades, I have been humbled by all that I have received and learned from parishioners about God. This is part of what makes serving you such a joyful experience.

Brian, our parishioner, had an accident that resulted in complete paralysis. The only voluntary movement he could make was to blink his eyes. This is how he communicated for many months. He was attached to every type of machine to keep his body going. He communicated by looking at charts that had letters and the words would slowly be spelled out. He was in excruciating pain that could not be controlled. This was his lot in life. He never complained. He accepted it. His classmates from high school visited him. None of them could fail to be touched by Brian. THey stuck by him and he stuck by them.

As it became clear that his time on this side of life was getting shorter, he clearly thought about the purpose of his life, even though such a short life, and about the work that he still had to do. First, he wanted to be sure that he was right with God. He used the sacrament of Confession for this. But since he could not talk, he had to do it in a different way. He spent several days spelling out each letter of each word that his mother then wrote down. Everything that he wanted to say to God in seeking forgiveness was spelled out in many pages dictated to his mother by his blinking eyes. He could simply have blinked "I'm sorry." But he did not take the easy way. That experience of hearing his confession and giving him absolution was the most profound celebration of that sacrament in my entire life. We can take that sacrament for granted. Brian did not. He got it.

On several occasions, I shared with Brian what Jesus told us about heaven and about the purpose of our lives. I shared thoughts about death as a passageway with our life on one side and God's life on the other side. He seemed interested in hearing about the connections that always exist even beyond death with the people that you love. I talked about angels, God's powerful messengers of love, heralds of God's ways.

Brian thought about these things and came up with several conclusions about what he wanted to do in heaven. He said that he wanted to be an angel - so that he could help his friends in every possible way. I had told him about Saint Michael the Archangel who helped people in their battle against evil. He decided that he wanted to do the work of Saint Michael the Archangel. He had tattoed on his hand a picture of Saint Michael the Archangel. This would be his mission. This would be his purpose in heaven. This is how he could help his friends - how he could protect them. This gave him peace.

The last time I saw Brian, I saw the tattoo. Brian was now giving his life for the sake of his friends. His tasks for eternity were clearly spelled out. Heaven would not be a place where he rested, but rather a place where he cared for those he loved.

His all too young life ended almost a year ago. We had his Mass at Corpus Christi, filled with people who knew and loved him. Perhaps his life and homily can help your faith when things get you down. Recalling Brian's life and death while writing this brings all the emotions of that time right back. I'm writing this post simply to say "thanks" to Brian. Thanks for your faith. Thanks for your courage. Thanks for your forgiveness. Thanks for not giving up - ever. Thanks for protecting us.

 

Funeral Homily for Brian, March 27, 2010

There are some in our world who show us how to live and others who show us how to die. Brian has done both. His life came to an end among us with the simple fact that life is a continuum. Death is little more than a passageway into a new and more wonderful way of life.

God has many prodigal children – many sons and daughters whose lives followed different paths. These prodigal children ultimately ended up with the God who always welcomes us without hesitation – and always with joy. This beautiful painting by Rembrandt captures the moment when the prodigal son returned home to his father. Without much effort, this is also God welcoming Brian to his eternal home. Brian may have wandered during his life at various times. But he never forgot his roots. And, as became so evident, he never forgot his final destination either.

A time like this is a time for contradictions - - - - Brian loved the song Mad World by David Jules - -- the lyrics resonated with him - -- “the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had.” They connected with him before his accident. But after his accident, he gradually came to a different place – quite literally a higher place - - where he believed and knew as a gut level belief that death was not the end – that death opened up a passageway into a world that was a beginning and a fulfillment – and an opportunity that was far greater than he ever had on this side of life. With more conviction than anyone that I’ve known – he showed what faith is, his belief in the forgiveness of God, his belief in the promises of God, and his belief in heaven.

So many passages in the Scriptures can be read today reminding us of Brian: the meek shall inherit the earth; a child shall lead them; you are the light of the world; come to me, all you who labor and I will give you rest; you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. As God gave Brian life and breathed him into this world, Brian, through his determination to donate every possible organ and, in some way, give his accident meaning, has now breathed life into individuals who will live even as Brian’s life completed its natural course here on earth. The person who leads the Gift of Life program through which Brian donated his organs told me on Thursday that, in all his years, Brian was the bravest person he had ever been with.

Most of us can look at death and be scared, be anxious, not know precisely what awaits us. Jesus told us all kinds of things about heaven – yet we still wonder until we finally see God face to face. Brian was different than any person whom I’ve known as a priest. In no way was he eager to pass from this life to the next. He also did not wish to continue to endure unbelievable pain. But with prayerful and serious conviction, he considered what lay ahead – and made decisions about his next career. On this side of life, he was son, and relative, and friend. I suspect that Jesus might have been puzzled when he met Brian face to face. Rather than simply saying that he wanted to be in heaven, Brian told him of his next career path as he had told his family and friends - - - I want to be an angel, a guardian angel.

When Brian told me this, we discussed angels. The angels we learn about in the Scriptures are not the puny delicate creatures that one finds as lapel pins. I suspect that Heaven is not truly the place described by artists as angels and saints floating on clouds. Those angels and ideas about heaven sound boring. The life Brian now experiences is anything but boring. Rather the angels in the Scriptures are the messengers of God’s love and care for everyone they meet. Angels are warriors who fight battles against evil and place us in touch with goodness.

We can with conviction and integrity use words about Brian that are usually used to speak about God.

We do not seek suffering. We do not glamorize suffering. Suffering is awful. Yet, we do suffer. And there is an ancient spiritual truth that suffering is redemptive. Brian’s suffering was redemptive. This means that Brian’s suffering caused hearts to grow larger, eyes to see more clearly, friends to cherish the best of times, family to remember all the times, and each of us to grow more in our faith in God than we ever would have had we not known Brian. No one who heard Brian’s story can be unchanged. That is what his suffering did. That is what his faith caused.

The book of Wisdom tells us that “having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career.”  Life is truly not measured in length of days, but in goodness of heart. With this measure, Brian lived among us here for a thousand years. He reached perfection. He became a saint. By his preference, he became an angel.

We all know that Brian would be very uncomfortable calling him perfect. But he is most comfortable wanting us to look at him now as a guardian angel. For Brian, calling heaven the place of eternal rest sounds boring. Rather, heaven is now Brian’s time for eternal work, eternal love.

Brian wants to be the fierce angel warrior who takes care of friends who are in trouble. He wants to be the fierce angel warrior who watches over his family and all those who cared for him. He wants to be the fierce angel warrior who will always be restless until everyone is safe - - - - - as he is now safe.

Brian chose as his patron and now his mentor and coach, Saint Michael the Archangel.  An interesting choice – for Michael the Archangel is important to both the Jews and the Christians. He was seen as the protector of God’s people. He was the field commander of God’s army in doing battle against the forces of evil. The name Michael means “Who is Like God?” Our answer to that question today is simply “Brian is like God.”

So now Brian has gone ahead of us to team up with Michael the Archangel. In case there was any question about this, Brian had tattooed on his hand the picture of Michael the Archangel. You can’t miss it.

Despite our tears and sadness and loss, we hear the words of Bob Marley: “everything’s gonna be all right.” We can easily imagine what God has just said to Brian, “Welcome, my son. I’m so proud of you. I’d like you to meet Michael the Archangel. There are so many friends of yours who need your protection. Go and protect them.”

J. Mahoney

 

Thank God for Jesuits

In all my years of education, including driver's ed and swimming, I never had a Jesuit for a teacher. My doctorate was from Fordham, but I escaped the personal Jesuitical influence. My loss. I did have several semesters teaching in the doctoral program and had a handful of Jesuit students, intellectually alive and just fun. Certainly, a lot of my study and reading over the years has involved books and articles and Jesuits. At Corpus Christi, one of the greatest thrills in having an outside speaker was the evening that Cardinal Avery Dulles spent with us - one of the many and always memorable grace filled moments here.

This is by way of brief preamble to highlight a recent article written by Jim Martin, a Jesuit, and one of the very best writers on spirituality we have today in the Church. I agree with what he wrote 100%. The fact that he is a friend due to some mutual friends is just a coincidence.

Rather than come up with something similar, I invite you to read the entire article. Click for the  link. 

I'm baffled and frustrated at those who are Catholic and never find the need to practice the slightest bit of civility towards those with whom they disagree. Jim Martin puts it in perfect context with the Scripture readings for this Sunday. I'm too tired to write a post tonight. Let someone wiser teach you.

 
Please be sure that you have some of his books, especially A Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, and My Life with the Saints. These two have become classics.

 

 

 

The Super Bowl and the Clydesdales and Love of Our Country

In many respects, I could care less about the Super Bowl since some people claim that the teams are not the Chicago Bears and the East Rutherford Jets. What world do they live in? However, from the standpoint of popular culture and realizing that it will provide a common point of reference for millions, I'll be watching it along with everyone else. I tend to perk up most for the commercials. In the past, some have been appalling. Some have been hysterical. Some have been beyond tasteless. A few have been brilliant.

I have never forgotten the Budweiser commercial with the Clydesdales at the 2002 Super Bowl. They only ran it once out of their sensitivity to not seem to profit from something connected with 9-11. Some media and advertising critics panned it for being too hokey. I saw it the first time and it was just so emotional for me. All of God's creation recognized the pain caused by that horrific day. So I tracked down the commercial and thought that you might like to view it: (to play it, click on the right arrow at the bottom left corner)

 

 

Can't Come Up with a Title

The title of this post is quite accurate. I cannot come up with a title. I wanted this to be a patchwork quilt of musings that I have had over the past few months. There is truly no overriding theme, other than responding and reacting to Church, state, religion, prayer, spirituality, politics, popular culture, and anything that has gone into and out of my mind sometimes without stopping for very long. So here's the grab bag:

Prayer - It seems easier to pray when the air is crisp and there is no snow, harder to do when there is ice. Perhaps ice is a sign of terror.  I slid all the way into the middle of Southern Boulevard last week while driving. Destroyed my confidence and I love to drive in the winter. Re-evaluating my thoughts on the best and safest car to drive.

Theological observations - If God cared about the Super Bowl, then Dallas would be warm and sunny today. I do believe that God cares about the Chicago Cubs, but does not want them to become proud through too many wins.

The Church and Young Adults - The Church has a significant problem with young adults. Namely, they do not find the Church to be of great meaning in their lives. They do not find that the Church speaks to their world and experiences. This is serious and getting worse. It will occupy much time in Church circles in the next few years. Predictably, many will find some way to blame the youth instead of looking at what we do and the effect that it has. Parishes that are not welcoming, sermons that do not touch people's experiences, and music that is not well-done and brings a genuine sense of prayer to God and celebration do not keep young adults, or really any adults, coming to Church. Fordham sponsored a recent symposium on young adults and the Church. I'll present some of the findings in future posts.

The King's Speech - I hope it wins the Oscar. One reason is that it was one of the very few films that I have seen lately. I will see the Social Network at some point, but have been too restless to sit still for it. The King's Speech was so well-written, well-acted, and was incredibly compelling. It could even be called a thriller. To triumph over a significant personal difficulty is no small matter. It can halt the progress and growth of any person, much less a King of England. Hmmm, Mahoney cheering for the King of England - truly a new age of civility.

Civility - While I do not think that any mildly sensible person would draw an explicit causal connection between the shootings in Tucson and the hate-speech of extreme partisans on the right and the left, I am amazed that people do not see the ultimate impact of a constant barrage of images designed to bring down people. How can words not matter? How can words, repeated over and over, not give an impression to vulnerable minds that violence against others is permissible? Should a respect for basic human dignity be part of our conversations, both personal and political?

Gun Control - Guns are too available. My godfather was killed by a handgun. Don't talk to me about 2nd Amendment solutions.

Exams for Radio Commentators and Politicians - Should there be minimal tests of knowledge before a person can be on the radio or in political office?

Twitter and Facebook - I'm still not into Twitter or that much into Facebook. I just do not understand how these things have their impact. But the events in Egypt have motivated me to start learning more about ways in which these media can be tools for spirituality and prayer and parish life.

Suez Canal - I never really have focused on the strategic importance of the Suez Canal. May the turmoil in Egypt end quickly and with peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emerging Ever So Slowly from a Funk

One of the dictionary definitions of "funk" is "to be in a dejected mood." This is essentially why I have not posted on this blog since last September. I have been in a funk. The reasons for this were a combination of different things - personal, physical, occupational, spiritual, and emotional. They just all converged from different directions over the past five months. (For any armchair psychologists reading this and seeking to name this or diagnose me, this funk was not clinical depression, but something else.)

There is a delightful Latin phrase, nemo dabet quod non habet, loosely translated - you cannot give what you do not have. I fear that I have not had very much to give over the past five months. I have done my responsibilities and not shirked from doing things. I hope that I was present to those in need, especially in times of distress and grieving. But it really was an effort, an effort which I tried to make look natural, but in reality, it was difficult and exhausting. Sometimes, when I am in pain, I go on auto-pilot. I'm blessed and cursed with being verbally facile. Ultimately, it is exhausting.

One negative part of the funk was that I had hardly any possible patience for what might inelegantly be called "equine excrement." In ministry, I believe we have to go the extra mile to be magnanimous and filled with equanimity. It is just not helpful if we pop off at people. I came so close to doing this a number of times and would have spent the next year apologizing.

(Warning: this next paragraph is a rant/vent) There is this one parishioner who lives outside the parish boundaries (which is fine and permitted) and is simply nasty. She has no real use for any of the priests (an attitude permitted in America), runs us down to others when we do not adopt her suggestions or methods on certain issues, distorts what we do or do not do, and shares negative things about her coworkers whom I can easily identify. She is divisive and defamatory. It would be temporarily satisfying to really take her on. Why have I just vented about this one person? Easy. Writing this helps me get some perspective. I know that I am not looking at her as Jesus asks. Writing this also reminds me to pray for her - regardless of how she gets under my skin.

In truth, there is a deeper spiritual reason for the above rant/vent. We are chained to a person who has done things to us until we pray for them and forgive them. It is that simple. This process can be as simple and as begrudging as just asking God to help them. I will probably never like this person. She is the only parishioner that I wish was not in the parish. (That is really not bad when you consider all the people at Corpus Christi. It is one of the reasons why I love the parish and the people so much.) But I absolutely must pray for her - and have. Over and over and over again. The interesting thing is that she probably has no idea how much she gets to me. Please don't tell her!

Now that I am emerging ever so slowly from the funk, I'll be sharing some thoughts about events that have happened over the past few months in our society and Church of interest to me and hopefully to you. A lot has gone on. I'll continue to share some impressions from the extraordinary parish pilgrimage we had this past August.

I end this posting by praying for the brave young people in Egypt who are demonstrating for democracy. May our country be clearly and wisely on the right side of this revolution. (so far, so good) While acknowledging geopolitical realities, it is nonetheless troubling that the world's bastion of democracy has found it politically necessary at times to support dictators who oppress their people.

Re-reading this before pushing the dreaded Publish button makes me ask whether this has not been a self-indulgent exercise in narcissism. If it is, please forgive me. I'm tired of the snow and therefore not responsible. That's my answer and I am sticking to it.

And one more thing: In my world, the Jets will beat the Bears this Sunday by 3 points.