Chapter 47 The Conspiracy Spirit

       “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” I would imagine it was my mother who taught me that. And I can remember saying it as a young boy. Whenever a friend would get mad at me and say something mean about me, I would say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” As we get older we discover that those words really aren’t true. Words do harm us…and we harm others with our words.
      I think that is one of the points McLaren makes in this chapter. He writes on page 237, “Speaking of our words, one of the most important ways the Spirit moves us to care for people in all these circles is by training us to control our tongues.” I imagine I have hurt more people with my tongue than in any other way. I hope that I have helped quite a few people with my tongue as well.
      I liked the various circles of people that McLaren says the Spirit conspires to touch with our lives: family, co-workers, neighbors, the vulnerable, and our critics, opponents and enemies. It is certainly that last group that I struggle with the most. Perhaps we all do.
     It is a struggle to show kindness to people we don’t “get” and people who don’t “get” us. It is hard to have kind words to say about those who don’t have kind words to say about us. I was reading a book recently and in this book, they called these people EGR-Extra Grace Required. May God send me and extra dose of the Spirit to assist me in dealing with the EGR’s in my life. And may I be a little less trouble to those that find me to be an EGR to them.

Chapter 46 Spirit of Service

The Spirit leads us downward. I guess this is what scripture scholars and theologians call the great reversal. The poor will become powerful. The rich are sent away empty. The blind see and those with sight are made blind. The deaf hear and the hearing cannot understand, cannot "hear" the words of Jesus. The Spirit moves us downward not only to pray, but just as importantly to serve.
     One of the things that I think has helped our parish move in the direction that God is calling is our emphasis on service. Exit Zero, St. Elizabeth/Catholic Charities, Community Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, St. Joseph the Worker, Haiti, the Franciscan Kitchen, Marie's Ministry...all places where our parishioners have been pushed downward into service.
     My prayer for each of us is that God will continue to lead us downward where we can find in our midst the ones that Jesus would serve.

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.

May 28, 2018 Chapter 41 Moving with the Spirit

     I love the first line of this chapter: "The wind can be blowing, but if your sail isn't raised, you won't go far."
    The other day I heard a talk by Dr. Edward Sri, a theologian at the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado. He was speaking about Pope Francis and his Apostolic Exhortation: The Joy of the Gospel. And he reminded me of a story that I had almost forgotten about. Early on in his pontificate, Pope Francis was asked this question, "Who is Jorge Bergolio?" Pope Francis thought for a moment and said, "I am a sinner on whom the Lord has cast his gaze." Later he expounded on that a little bit more. He said he was always captivated by a painting that was titled: The Call of St. Matthew. In the painting, he explains, the Lord has locked eyes with Matthew and invited the tax collector to follow him. Matthew looks bewildered perhaps thinking, "I'm an enemy of my people. I work for the Roman government. People despise me. Why would you call me?" and yet he is captivated by the gaze of Jesus...Matthew still has one hand on his money bag...thinking of all that he will have to give up to follow Jesus...yet he is captivated by Jesus...but afraid to give up what he has...captivated by Jesus and yet afraid to give up what he has..."I am a sinner on whom the Lord has cast his gaze."
     When he expounded on that answer, Pope Francis, I think, spoke for all of us who are at times mesmerized by the winds...but still afraid to raise our sails. It is so much easier to simply go with the flow...to do your own thing...to lessen the Christian calling to anything less than the radical giving of one's total self. It is easy still for me to think of a thousand reasons why I can't be the kind of priest God calls me to be, why our parish can't be the kind of parish our God calls us to be. It is easy to focus so much on our weakness (I am a sinner...) that we forget about what we can do when we follow the one who first called us (on whom the Lord has cast his gaze).
     My prayer this week is that I'll find a way to follow Jesus more fully each day.

May 21, 2018 Chapter 40 The Spirit is a Moving (Pentecost Sunday)

     I have heard the words a hundred times before but never really thought about them. Jesus tells his disciples it is better for them that he goes. I imagine that they thought this was hogwash! But with hindsight we see how true it is. Without the Holy Spirit, could the faith have spread across the globe? Jesus, a human being, could only be in one place at one time. God's Spirit can be everywhere.
    I am writing this reflection before my Pentecost Masses. I'm going to go out on a limb this weekend to see if we as individual members of the Body of Christ in St. John Paul II Parish, have felt the spirit's nudge. Have we grown in our faith in any substantial way in the last year? the last 2 years or 3 years or 5 years? By the time you read this, I will have asked people to stand if they have grown in their faith in some significant and noticeable way during that time period. If any stood, i will pray a blessing on them. If no one stands, I have significant work to do.
     I believe the Spirit is at work in our parish. I hope this weekend proved that true!

May 14, 2018 Chapter 39 Whatever the Hardship, Keep Rising Up

Rise up was the theme of this year's LA Congress. And while at Congress we heard stories of people who had to rise up against the hardships of life: poverty, illness, death; Immigration issues, language barriers, separations; unemployment, loneliness, fear.
     One of the things I love about the "uprising" of our faith is that our faith doesn't tell us we won't have problems, that we won't have hardships; it simply gives us a "road map" of how to deal with them when they come. That "road map" is Christ and Christ crucified. For the Christian, we take up our cross daily and follow him. That is our road map. That is our way.
     I deal with people struggling on a daily basis. I imagine all of us do. My hope and my prayer is that I can lead them to the road map. That I can lead them to Christ who lived, died and was raised so that we can find our way from death unto life.

May  7, 2018 Chapter 38 An Uprising of Stewardship

I have come to realize that as a priest I am a little bit weird. I enjoy talking about money.  I'm not sure that I always have but I know for the last 15 years or more it has been something I enjoy preaching about and something I don't mind talking about in everyday conversations. I think part of the reason for that is that I have come to believe that money itself has no inherent value, just as a rock has no inherent value. A rock can be used for good or it can be used for evil. The same simple truth applies to money--it is a tool given to us to manage for God.
     Two things struck me in the reading for this week. The first came on page 193 when McLaren writes: "But what hasn't changed, and what must never change, is this: we realize that the systems of this world runs on one economy, and we in the commonwealth of God run on another." That is a powerful statement about the Christian view of money. We should see it differently from non-Christian people. As said before, money is not a bad thing. Having money is not a bad thing. It is our use of money that has in it the potential for judgment.
     A few weeks after I was ordained in 1990, I asked a classmate to go on vacation. He said that he didn't have the money. I was a little shocked at that because shortly after ordination he had told me that he received gifts totaling around $10,000. A few years later I heard that he had given all but $1000 away to a family that was going through a difficult financial time due to an illness.
     That story leads to the second thing that struck me in this reading. It comes from a paragraph on page 194. It is the paragraph that begins with the words: "When it comes to how we spend our earnings, stewardship means living below our means." What challenges me about this paragraph is that it turns upside down and inside out the manner with which I typically talk about stewardship. When I talk about stewardship, I say that God gets the first 10%, and then we can use, and save and spend the rest. The early Church, according to McLaren, reverses that order. First, they would decide what they needed to live on--to provide for themselves and their family. Then they would save what they felt they needed to save for their future--the wisdom of foresight.Then finally, the rest would be used for God. When I reflected on that, it was call to reevaluate yet again how well I practice biblical stewardship.
     Talking about money is a challenge. Dealing with money is a challenge. None of us, I suppose, gets it right all the time. But, nonetheless, we must always continue to deal with it, wrestle with it, adjust it here and there, so that in all that we do with money, we do it in the name of God.

August 30, 2018  Chapter 37: An Uprising of Partnership

I have to admit that I struggled with this chapter a bit. I liked the "placing ourselves in the scene" in the first part of the chapter when McLaren spoke about the growth of the early "ecclesia." But then I struggled with how that tied into the story of the disciples in prison. And then it hit me.
      The growth of the Church was because of the witness of the disciples. Paul and the disciples simply witnessed to the faith by not fleeing the jail. They witness to the faith by not letting the jailer harm himself. They witnessed to the faith by staying put when they could have fled. They stayed put precisely because they knew that in staying put they could witness to the faith. It was almost as if they were saying, it doesn't matter if there are chains or not, we will stay here because this is where God put us.
     I've been asking myself lately the question of how well do I witness to my faith. Can people see in me something different? Is my witness real and is my faith authentic enough to attract non-believers or people who have walked away from their faith?
     This weekend's Gospel is the vine and the branches story (John 15:1-8). At our mission a couple of weeks ago David Wells told how a grapevine is one of the few plants that you can cut off a piece of the vine that is dying in one area and graft it into another piece of the vine somewhere else and it will thrive in this new location. Much like we do medically with a skin graft. That thought made John 15 come alive for me. Our job as a a church is to help people graft into Jesus. And it is in that grafting that we find life again.

April 23, 2018 Chapter 36 An Uprising of Worship

One of the things I like about this book is that McLaren will often invite us to imagine ourselves in the world of Jesus or those early followers of his. Today's chapter is an example of that. He invites us to imagine a table fellowship where all are treated as equal. The rich and the poor dine together. The slave and the master eat from the same table. The woman and the man drink of the one cup. And because of this "awe came upon everyone." Acts 2:42

Why is it that Christianity fails to "awe" today. Have we simply become so routine, so mainstream that people don't see us as different. What would a truly Christian community look like?

Our parish has been through a tough few weeks. I'm not sure how well we would pass the Jesus test. Some among us have sought to exclude others not because of anything they have done but simply because they are a little bit different. I'm not sure anyone would be in awe over that.

We have a ways to go, we Christians...we have more journeys that we need to walk.

April 16, 2018 Chapter 35 The Uprising of Discipleship

The word disciple and the term missionary disciple has been bantered about the last few years. St. John Paul II began the discussion and Pope Benedict continued it. Pope Francis too has made it a central theme of his preaching and teaching. It is the vision I have for our parish as well. We are a community of disciples.

I like McLaren's definition of  disciple as "a follower, a student, an apprentice, one who learns by imitating the master." (page 179)

What does that look like in real life? I think it means finding ways to grow one's faith. I think it means not being content with the status quo especially in our faith journey. In many ways I think in means waking up to God's action in our lives and feeling a need to respond to that action.

I'm always touched to listen to another's story. It is especially exciting when that story involves a "catching fire" for God. I think we need to find ways to share that in our Catholic churches. We need to find ways on Sunday mornings for people to be able to witness to their faith and the ways God is acting in their lives. It is not enough for disciples to hear it from the priests. They expect to hear it there. They also need to hear it from one another.

In the prayer we call the Magnificat, Mary says this: "The Almighty has done great things for me and holy is God's name." Luke 1:49 What are the great things that God has done for you that allow you to proclaim Holy is God's Name?

April 8, 2018 Chapter 34 The Uprising of Fellowship

The reading from John's gospel this week is the gospel reading each year for the Sunday after Easter. It is a recounting of "the evening of that first day of the week,"--that first Easter Sunday. Since it is the reading every Second Sunday of Easter, that means I have probably preached on this gospel passage at least 25 times. And in all 25 times I have focused almost exclusively on the person of Thomas. So much so that it had never really dawned on me the three things that Jesus does in the passage. McLaren points out those three things.
     First, he offers them peace. This is huge. He doesn't call them idiots for not getting his words about his death and resurrection. He doesn't say I told you so.  He doesn't call them cowards for running away in the garden the night of his arrest. He doesn't ask them why they couldn't be more like the women who at least followed him to the cross. Instead he offers them peace.
     The second thing he does is remind them of their purpose. he gives them their orders. He sends them on mission. He hasn't given up on them. He hasn't said to them, "You're fired." He renews his trust in them.
     Finally, he gives them a down payment of the Holy Spirit (which will come in its fullness at Pentecost). He breathes on them and gives them the power of forgiveness. I guess I've always thought of this as a general power to forgive sins. However, occurring as a post resurrection account it now seems obvious that Jesus is talking at least n part about the forgiveness of those who put him to death, those who fled his side, as well as those who didn't seem to care one way or the other.
     Peace. Mission. Mercy. The gifts given that first Easter Sunday!

April 1, 2018  Chapter 33  The Uprising Begins (Easter Sunday)

      Easter Sunday in April Fool's Day this year. It seems kind of funny doesn't it? It also seems pretty appropriate.
      If you are regular in any of the parishes I have ever served you will know that the Easter Season is also Holy Humor Season. People will sometimes ask me why I do this and the answer is pretty easy. Easter is the day God laughed at death. Easter is the day God laughed at fear. Easter is the day that God laughed at destruction and pain and hurt. And yes, Easter is the feast that God played the ultimate April Fool's joke on the world. Death is not the end! Death has no power! And if death is no longer powerful over us, then really we have nothing to fear!
      God's blessing on you and your family this Easter. Alleluia!

March 31, 2018  Chapter 32C  Doubt. Darkness. Despair. (Holy Saturday)

     I've often said that Jesus resurrection would have been just as powerful if he had died at 3 p.m. and rose at 9 p.m. or 8 p.m. or midnight or 7 the next morning. But he stayed in the tomb for three days. Is that God's way of telling us that there would be times when we are caught int he tomb? Is that God's way of saying life's pains are not usually easy to overcome. When we have deaths in on ours lives (both literally and figuratively) it takes time to deal with the pain. It doesn't happen overnight...or even in three days...but it happens. And it happens because Jesus showed us the way.
     Today I invite you as McLaren does to sit in the darkness. Rest in the moments of despair that come often in our lives. To allow yourself to experience the doubt of loss.
     My spiritual director in seminary put it this way: sometimes we just need to sit in the shit! Sometimes we just need to lay in the tomb and allow God to be with us in the pain.
     May this day allow you some time to do that.

March 30, 2018 Chapter 32B  Everything Must Change (Good Friday)

     Good Friday.

    

     I must confess this day still confuses me a little bit. 

     What kind of God would ask his son to be sacrificed for our sins? It is really hard for me to comprehend. And perhaps maybe there is another way to look at this day.

What if God did not demand that Jesus die to satisfy his anger, 

    or wrath, or even as the just punishment for our sins?

What if Jesus didn’t need to die to persuade God to forgive us or love us?

    What if God simply loved us because it’s in God’s nature to love?

What if God really is that loving parent who loves his/her children 

    no matter what they do, no matter how many times they fall?

What if God really is like the father in the prodigal son who runs to his child

    and embraces him even after he has squandered all that he had to live on?

What if God really is that Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 in the field 

     and goes off searching for the one that is lost?

Maybe our God isn’t a God who needs human sacrifice at all, 

   not even for his own son.

And maybe, just maybe, we created that version of salvation,

   not because God can’t tolerate sin, but because we just can’t 

      conceive of true, undeserved, unconditional love. 

Why then did Jesus die, if not for the forgiveness of our sins?

Perhaps Jesus died not to convince God to love us, 

   but to convince us that we are loved by God.

Perhaps Jesus died to show us in a complete and total and final way 

   just how much he loved us…

      No greater love is there than this to lay down one’s life for a friend.

Maybe, just maybe, that’s why we call this day Good Friday!

Just a little food for thought.

March 29, 2018 Chapter 32A   A Table. A Basin. Some Food. Some Friends. (Holy Thursday)

      A few years ago I heard Sr. Barbar Fiand, SNDdeN speak about the Feast of the Foot Washers. The main point of her talk was that she believes that we have too easily separated the Eucharist that Jesus instituted on Holy Thursday from the washing of the feet that he did that same night. "Why," she asks, "Do we celebrate one each week and the other only once a year?" She then asks if it is really possible to separate one from the other?
     I know her answer is that we cannot separate them. They are the same event. This bread is his body and so are we. We are called to be Eucharist through service to one another, by washing each other's feet.
     That is precisely why I love inviting the entire congregation to have their feet washed and to wash another's feet. It is Jesus command just as much as the Eucharist is his command. When he says, "do THIS in memory of me." I believe the "this" is both the Eucharist and the washing of the feet.
     May you do both today and every today to come!

Note to Readers: I am posting Palm Sunday Today (chapter 32). I will post the rest of Holy Week on the appropriate days. 32A on Thursday; 32B on Good Friday and 32C on Holy Saturday.

March 25 Chapter 32 Peace March (Palm Sunday)
      I love Holy Week. I love the highs and the lows, the triumphs and the tragedies. We begin as we do all Holy Weeks with Palm Sunday.
       I like the comparison McLaren makes between Jesus' humble entry on the East side of Jerusalem, simple, humble, riding on a colt of a donkey and how Herod would enter that same city on the other side: on a warhorse surrounded with chariots. Imagining those two entries we really can see the difference between the power that Jesus has with the power that Herod has. One power built on a promise of peace and the other power built on fear.
      I am reminded of the young people who stand today speaking for life, be it the pro-life march commemorating Roe V Wade or the recent pro-life marches asking for a path to citizenship for dreamers or protesting gun violence on our schools. They have no power compared to the NRA, the President, Congress or even their school administrators, but they walk none the less calling us to imagine a better world.
     I am reminded of Dorothy Day, St. Teresa of Kolkata, Archbishop Oscar Romero and others who chose the path to peace over the path to power.
     And as I think about all that I have to ask myself what kind of Palm Sunday parade am I walking with my life? It is a challenge for me as I start this Holy Week.

March 19, 2018 Chapters 30 Why We Worry, Why We Judge & Chapter 31 The Choice is Yours

     People will often ask me how I can hear someone's confession and not think less of them when I see them outside the confessional. The answer is really simple. It is because I know how much I am a sinner. I look at my own faults enough to know that I really have no business judging anyone else's faults. My mom use to say it this way, "Each time you point a finger at someone else, you have three pointing back at you."
    The simple point McLaren makes in this chapter is that when we give our lives to God and to God's ways, God takes care of us. Anxiety, Judgmental-ism, and Self-loathing (not realizing we are loved) all diminish when we give ourselves completely to God.

     In Chapter 31, Jesus reminds us that each of us have a decision to make. Which gate will we enter; which road will we travel; which vine will we eat from; which house will we build? We each have a choice and it is a choice that we need to make each day. It is not as simple as I made this choice years ago and I am set. I make the choice to live my faith each time I make any kind of decision because in each and every decision of my life I either affirm or deny my original choice.
     I play a little bit of Texas Hold-em poker. In each and every hand I have an opportunity to go "all-in"--to throw all my chips into the pot. Following Jesus is a choice---but it is a choice that asks me to go all in--to give it everything I am.

March 12, 2018  Chapters 28 A New Path to Aliveness & 29 Your Secret Life

     As we delve farther into the sermon on the mount we get to what I believe is the heart of Jesus' message. He raises the bar. He says things like, "Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and the pharisees..." and "You have heard that it was said...but now I say..." and "You know how the scribes and pharisees make their greatness felt...it cannot be that way with you."
     These two chapters offer more challenge. It is a challenge I feel every time I read these passages as part of the Gospel readings at Mass. I always wonder if my life is measuring up to Jesus' standards.
     A couple of things that McLaren states give me a little but of comfort. The first thing he says is that it isn't a question of obeying the rules or not obeying the rules, it is about finding the greater intent of the rule maker. (page 131)
     The second thing he says in chapter 29 and I want to quote it directly. "Some people shame the poor, as if the only reason poor people are poor is that they're stupid and lazy. Some shame the rich, as if the only reason people are rich is that they're selfish and greedy. Jesus doesn't shame anyone, but calls everyone to a higher kind of wealth and a deeper kind of ambition." (Page 139)
     That to me is at the crux of Jesus' message. He raises the bar so that he can raise us not just to do more, but to be more.

March 5, 2018  Chapter 27 A New Identity

(Note to readers: If you have been following along on this blog I need to make a slight change. The next two weeks i will be covering two chapters. This will allow us to read chapter 32, 32 A, B & C during Holy Week as McLaren intends.)

We have moved into part three of McLaren's work and in this first chapter he challenges us to be people who are different. He invites us to be "brave and determined activists for preemptive peace..." (page 128) and "creative non-conformist" (page 129). He then goes on to point out that like the people who heard this sermon the first time, we are left to think about it, marinate in it, reflect upon it and grapple with it.

And I'm glad he gives us that permission because that is where I find myself all the time. I wrestle with the question is my life radical enough for Jesus? Not radical as in violent protests or civil disobedience, but radical in the sense that my life really shouldn't make sense to someone who doesn't get it--someone who doesn't follow Jesus completely. Have I given into the mainstream of religion--(something Jesus never did) or is my life simply that along the lines of all the others who have "dabbled" in a life with Christ.

What does  it mean to be a "brave and determined activist?" What is the call to be a "creative non-conformist." And to use Jesus' words, am I light? am I salt? Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Am I poor in spirit? Am i persecuted for the sake of righteousness?

As I said, I am glad McLaren gives us permission to grapple with question of "who we are and what kind of person we want to be in the future." (Page 130) Because with or without his permission that is exactly where I find myself most of the time.

(Remember, next week we will do chapters 28 & 29.)

February 26, 2018   Chapter 26   Making It Real

      I enjoyed this chapter and the imaginary conversation with Mary of Magdala. I always like stories like this that help the Gospel come alive. We often forget that Jesus lived in a real time, among real people and places. I can picture me walking with Mary and hearing of her conversations and experiences with this carpenter named Jesus.
      To the question, do you ever have doubts, she answers, "Sometimes I think his message is the crazy dreams of poets, and artists, the fantasies of children at play..." I think of how often people of Jesus' time had to make it real in their own lives. Mary does that at the end of this chapter when she reminds us, "When you believe you make it real. 'You change this'--she points to her head--'and this'--she points to her heart--'and you change all this.' She gestures to indicate the whole world."
      It reminds me of the person who said,  Never think for one moment that one person can not change the world. It is all that ever has.

February 19, 2018  Chapter 25 Jesus, Violence, and Power

Once again, Peter is both the hero and the goat! Once again, what Peter (and all the others for that matter) thought and believed and anticipated was not exactly what Jesus had in mind. The amazing thing is that I'm not sure we have learned that lesson even today.
     With yet another school shooting somewhat behind us, we will hear the talking heads on FOX and CNN speaking about the other guys and why what they think is wrong. We will hear each of them expounding the right interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. What we won't hear any of them really talk about is what in our culture still makes all of think that violence and strength and might are still the best way to exercise power.
     As I read through this chapter in light of the Douglas High School shooting, I couldn't help but wonder what Jesus would say as he took a field trip there...or to Columbine...or to Sandy Hook...or to Orlando or Vegas...or to where ever the next one will occur.
     It seems to me that 2000 years have come and gone and we are no closer to the world that Jesus envisioned for us than we were when we were standing outside Caesarea Philippi.
     But it seems too easy to say "we." I think for me I have to look at the "me" and not the "we." In what ways do I still miss the point. In what ways do I still use violence (the harsh word; the critical comment; the angry outburst; the passive aggressive action, the sarcastic phrase).
     Perhaps it is time for me to pray for healing and change in me.

February 12, 2018  Chapter 24 Jesus and Hell

      A couple of thoughts about this chapter. I liked it when McLaren wrote: "We might say he (Jesus) wasn't so much teaching about hell as he was un-teaching about hell. And in doing so he wasn't simply arguing for a different understanding of the afterlife. He was doing something far more important and radical: proclaiming a transformative vision of God." (page 113)  That is how I've always thought about Jesus and his teaching on hell. He was telling us 1) it's not what you think and 2) it's not for who you think. In many ways this is the "great reversal" at its greatest. And we might find comfort in that until we see ourselves as the religious of this day--then it becomes a bit challenging and makes me look even more closely at if I allow God to transform me in my own life. Because if I don't perhaps I'll be spending time with those in Jesus' day who didn't. Not a pleasant thought.
     The second thought that comes to mind is that of universal salvation (the belief that no one is in hell--and all are saved.) I guess I don't know if that can be true and it has its down side (think Hitler or Manson or...) but there is certainly a part of me that hopes it is true. If Jesus' desire that he not lose any of those that was given to him (John 6:39), is it a stretch to think then that anyone who is capable of being redeemed is redeemed? And is it possible that there is anyone who has absolutely no redeemable qualities? And if God is all powerful and desires not to lose anyone, is it possible that God will redeem everyone? As I said, I don't know that I believe it is true as much as I hope it is true.

February 5, 2018  Chapter 23 Jesus and the Multitudes

     In some ways, this chapter was a little disturbing for me. I don't know that I like dividing the world into categories (the 1%ers, the multitudes, and the middle managers). Perhaps because it just leads to divisions; or perhaps because there is more truth in it than I care to admit. However, when I read it and then the readings that accompany it this week, I was struck by two things. First, Ezekiel reminds us that while God's concern is with all of his sheep--he expects more from his shepherds. Second, from Luke Jesus shows concern for all, from the "prodigal" son that leaves it all in search for his happiness only to be led back home again (which one of us hasn't made that journey in one way or another), to the little children (considered as nothing in that time), to the rich man searching for salvation (it is not impossible for God to save all), to a blind beggar aside the road, and finally to a wealthy tax collector. I don't know if it was McLaren's point to say that salvation is open to all or not, but that is what I gathered from the passages.
     I don't necessarily like the divisions of the 1%ers versus the rest (with or without the middlemen), but if those divisions need to be made, after having been to Haiti numerous times, I could easily count myself among the 1%ers...And as part of that group, I have to ask myself: In what ways do I exploit others?
     I look at the home I live in--modest by this country's standards, but a mansion to most in Haiti. I look at my income, once again average by this country's standards, but a fortune to most of the world living on a few dollars a day.
     Perhaps that is why this chapter disturbs me. I don't like to think of myself as a 1%er, but maybe I am. And I guess I can live with being the middle manager trying to find balance between the 1%ers and the multitudes. but it is clear to me that Jesus has a "preferential option for the multitudes" and I know that I am not in that class--which is for me...a bit disturbing.

January 29, 2018  Chapter 22  Jesus the Teacher

I have always considered Jesus to be the master teacher. I guess what this chapter helped me to understand was all the different ways that he taught. I found it interesting that McLaren considered things like the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem and driving the money changers out of the temple to be moment of teaching. In some ways it challenges me to look at all aspects of my ministry as teachable moments.

I also liked the thought that McLaren offered in regard to a current understanding of the kingdom of God. I liked the diversity of this thought. Not only is the kingdom of God about a mutual sharing of resources, but it is also about living life to the fullest. Not only is it about freedom and community but it is also about the environment and holy aliveness.

All of this tied in well with the reading from Jeremiah--the kingdom of God is about what God has already written in our hearts: We are God's people and God is with us always as our God.

January 22, 2018  Chapter 21: Significant and Wonderful

I like this chapter because I have always wondered the best way to approach miracles in the Bible. I like McLaren's 3 alternative (see page 97). I also like the thought that miracles are signs--things that point us to other things.

When I was in seminary we had a one-year internship in a parish. It wasn't optional, it was part of the formation program. One of my classmates emailed me during that internship and attached a picture--it was a picture of the banner covering the front of the ambo (podium) at his parish. There was a clear image of the Blessed Mother on the green fabric. He talked about the fact that no one knows how the image got there, but it was clearly there. The pastor decided to remove the banner so it would not attract attention.

I'm not sure what I would do if that happened in my parish today...I tend to be skeptical about those things, however I often wondered "what if...?"

Perhaps I don't need miracles to bolster my faith. However, maybe I need them to bolster my imagination.

January 15, 2018 Chapter 20 Join the Adventure!

     The first book I read by Brian McLaren was Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road. In that book McLaren talked about how we can be strong in our own faith without demeaning the faith of others. It is so easy today to get so caught up in the "I'm right and you're wrong" mentality that we forget to be good to each other.
      I was thinking about that the other day. In a matter of a few minutes I listened to one person I admire and respect talk about why he says Merry Christmas and not Happy Holidays. A few minutes later I heard another person I respect say that people should say Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas. I found myself thinking that I understand the logic of each, but also wondering why this became a "hot button" issue at all.
     Perhaps this is what McLaren is hinting at in his writings on page 94--to remind us that God came for all of us, not just Christians, not just Catholics, not only Jews, or Moslems, or Gentiles, or whoever. Pope Frances tries to proclaim this in his ministry; it challenges me to do the same.

January 8, 2018  Chapter 19  Jesus Coming of Age

     I recently read a book entitled Three Days: The Search for the Boy Messiah. It is an historic novel by Chris Stepien. In the book, Stepien imagines how it might have been for Jesus as a 12 year-old and going to Jerusalem with his family for Passover.
     What I liked about the book is that it gave possible thoughts to how the situation might have happened 2000 years ago. For instance, Joseph tells Jesus several times that should he get separated from him, he should make his way tot he Temple because he would be safe there. This could easily make sense then when Jesus says, "Did you not know I would be in my father's house?" In other words you told me to go there.
     His teaching in the temple, according to the imagination of Stepien, revolved around several situations in which Jesus found himself. In each of these situations Jesus, being rooted in the scriptures, used them to shed light on the subject. Everyone who saw these encounters were amazed at his wisdom.
     The book helped me to see how it might have happened and helped to make Jesus even more real for me in my life. What thoughts do you have on this chapter?