Chapter 45 Spirit of Unity and Diversity

      I think it was St. Pope John XXIII who once said that as a Church we should have "Unity in essentials, diversity in non-essentials, and charity in all." I thought about that as I began to read this chapter. What I found interesting (and what I had never really thought about) was that this applied to the Holy Trinity as well.
     I liked the way McLaren posed that even in the Holy Trinity we find unity and diversity. I also liked the way he reminded us that they were comfortable being unified in the their essential God being while being diversified in their persons. Jesus didn't want to be the person of the Father. The Holy Spirit doesn't believe it is shortchanged because it's not the person of the Son. It was St. John XXIII's illustration right before us.
     To this day I have a hard time understanding the vitriol speech coming from both sides of the political and ecclesiastical aisles. It stupefies me that this happens so easily and with people who I believe really aren't that way at all. We get "caught up" so much in our arguments that we forget we are talking to and dealing with people.
     As I type this we are finishing our archdiocesan clergy conference. It has been a great four days with the brothers. We are not all the same. We don't all think the same way. Some are conservative. Some are liberal. Some like Pope Benedict more than Pope Francis and for others it is just he opposite. Some would like to return to the Latin Mass and others are waiting for Vatican III (if it would move the Church, in their opinion, farther along in their way of thinking). But what we strive to do as a presbyterate (a group of clergy in one diocese under one bishop) is to listen to each other. I believe we are unified in the essentials, diverse in the non-essentials and most of the time we show charity in all.
     My hope and prayer is that we can do that as the larger Church--in our parishes and dioceses. Further, I pray that someday we can do that as a country.
   

Chapter 44: Spirit of Love: Loving Self

I found this chapter both interesting and challenging. I liked the way McLaren said we can look at ourselves and be "self-absorbed, self-contained, self-centered, selfish, and self-consumed...Or you can engage in a Spirit-Guided self-examination, self-control, self-development and self-giving." The difference he says is how we seek the spirit of wisdom to direct us.
     When people tell me that I should preach more about the rules of the Catholic Church, I often think there is a bit of immaturity in that. I guess it is because I rarely see simply following the rules as also giving life. I like the analogy that McLaren offers. Following the rules is like being in elementary school (and there is a place for that), but moving on to secondary school means maturing past following the rules into discerning the wisdom that calls forth the rules in the first place. It is in the maturation process that the Spirit leads us beyond the law. But it is only effective if we have moved into a place where we can discern what is life-giving for both ourselves and others.

Chapter 43: Spirit of Love: Loving Neighbor

A couple of weeks ago I received a letter from a parishioner questioning why I promote the LA Religious Education Congress. Their concern is that Congress has some speakers that are, in their estimation, a little less than orthodox. While I don't agree that they are less than orthodox, I do know they are a little "left-leaning" in their thought. But I was quick to point out that the LA Congress also has some speakers that lean a little bit to the far right. That is what I like most about Congress. It is a collection of the Church at its  fullness--all parts of the spectrum.
     McLaren is right when he says that our differences need to be celebrated and not feared. He is right when he challenges to break away from "tribalism" that pit us against them. Perhaps we need to pray for that in our current political environment and our Church environment too. I was reading a blog recently that mentioned a German bishop demanding inter-communion for non-Catholic spouses attending Catholic Mass with their spouse. What struck me was that his words sounded every bit as closed-minded as his counter part who felt this was a bad idea. It seemed both sides wee clinging so tightly to their position, that they had lost the ability to dialogue. Further, it seems they had lost the ability to love the other...
     Is it possible to disagree with someone without vilifying them? Is it possible to love someone with whom you disagree strongly? May Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13 challenge us to live the love God envisions for all of us--a love that is patient, kind, not envious, pompous, or boastful. A love that does not seek its own interest or brood over injury, a love that never fails.

Chapter 42: Spirit of Love: Loving God

When I used to teach high school seniors I would inevitably have a student tell me. I don't believe in God. I would always say, "Tell me about the God you don't believe in." In other words, I would want to hear from them their understanding of God. Often times in the conversation I would then say, "Well if that is the God you know---then I wouldn't believe in that God either." That almost always led to a good discussion.
     I like the process McLaren offers in this chapter and I'd like to take you through some reflections I have had through the years on the various stages of that process (although I wouldn't have called them that at the time.)
     Step One: Showing up. My life changed when my spiritual director challenged me to spend a half an hour in prayer each day. My life changed when I joined my Priest's Support Group and I began meeting regularly with some guys who help keep me honest with who I am and who God is. My life changed when I began going to Sr. Mildred, my spiritual director of the first several years of my priesthood (until her health prevented her from doing it any more). My life changed when I began spending Tuesday afternoons (as many as I can) with my small faith group at my current parish. My life changed when I began going to adoration more often. All of these are times that I simply "showed up" to allow God to work in my life.
     Step Two: Appreciation. I love it in my life when I meet someone who helps me to see God a little differently than i had before. One example of this was a guy named "Taz." Taz had a unique way of preaching the message of God in such a way that it opened God up to me in new and different ways. I came to appreciate God more after hearing Taz preach. David Wells is another person like that for me. Listening to him all these years at Congress and then having him come her for our Mission allows me to delve a little deeper into the mystery ff God.
    Step Three: Cultivate Honor and Respect for God. I can remember Sr. Barbara Fiand saying in a seminary class that God is nothing...And then she would add God is no thing. It was a hard concept for me to grasp and sometimes still is. God is not any of the things we try to make God out to be...those things McLaren rattled off at the beginning of this chapter: angry old man with the white beard, curator of a religious museum, or testy border guard...God is no thing. God is so much beyond our imagining...and yet we need to have some ideas about who God is in order to cultivate that honor and respect. And so we look to Jesus and we find God is compassion. We look to Jesus and find that God is beyond the rules. We look to Jesus and find that God is different from what we often imagine. We look to the Holy Spirit and find that God moves us in ways we couldn't have imagined. We look to the Spirit and find that God is infinitely patient as we learn the same lessons over and over again. We look to the Spirit and find that God never gives up on us as we get it wrong so often. That is a God that I can honor and respect.
     Step Four: Learning to say I'm sorry. There have been so many times in my life when I have really messed up. There still are. I love the Sacrament of Reconciliation because of that. How often I need to say, "God...it's me. I did it again." or "God it's me. I need your help."
     Learning to love god is a life-long process. I hope I am better at it today that I was 10 years ago. I hope that I'll be even better tomorrow. It's like the 1970's pop hit: "I love you more today than yesterday, but not at much as tomorrow.