8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Sirach 27:4-7
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 (see 2a)
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45
February 27, 2022

In Sirach we hear, “so in tribulation is the test of the just.” 

We face “tribulation” (i.e. distress) in our world today.

We face it in hearing, maybe even experiencing for ourselves, of violent acts like mass shootings. 

We face distress in how the COVID pandemic has affected our lives.  We were shutdown.  We were social distancing.  We lost loved ones.  At times facemasks are still required.  Surges in cases continues to cause distress. 

Some people have not returned to church following the COVID.  Some because of real health concerns.  We pray for them.  Others have lost the practice of coming to church or maybe even lost faith.  We pray for them.

We face tribulation in the loss of the respect for all life.  Society is decaying as immorality is increasing.  We pray for all to look at the signs of the times through the light of faith.  As the “sieve is shaken,” may we recognize our sins and hand them over to God.

Now, a new tribulation has surfaced.  Russia has attacked the Ukraine.  It is distressing.  In our opening prayer we prayed “that the course of our world may be directed by your peaceful rule.”

This prayer is the same prayer we use every 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  It hits home for me with what is going on between the Ukraine and Russia.

Today we are in Ordinary Time.  On Wednesday we will celebrate Ash Wednesday and begin our season of Lent.  Lent is a time for us to reflect on what is going on in our lives.  We examine our consciences. 

How have we been defeated by sin? 

Thinking about sins may be depressing.  We don’t like thinking about defeat.  However, with sin, victory will come “through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The victory over sin belongs to Christ.  We need to allow God to remove our sins so that we can be dressed in incorruptibility.

It is not easy. 

How are we to know what to do?  This is an important question for each of us as individuals, as a church, and as a nation.  “Can a blind person guide a blind person?”

At times it can be easy to “notice the splinter in your brother’s eyes” but what about “the wooden beam” in your own eye?

What are we to do?

We must heed Jesus’ word to see and “remove the wooden beam” from our own eye. 

We need Jesus to take away our sin.

We need the Holy Spirit to guide us with gifts of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, that we might have good counsel, and the courage to live as God teaches us.

It is not easy.  We face tribulation.  If we hope to succeed, we need to make sure we are “planted in the house of the Lord.”  It is only in following the Lord that we find ourselves “vigorous and sturdy.”

Again, we are about to begin Lent.  What do you need to change in your life?  What sins do you need to be forgiven for and need grace to overcome?

How might you help others see Christ?

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are three pillars of Lent.

We need to pray to open ourselves to God.  We pray that our relationship with God grows each day.

We pray for each other, that we may all know and do what God asks of us.

We pray that our Church always be guided by the Holy Spirit to bring the Light of Christ to the world.

We pray for all government leaders to respond to the needs of the people and find a way to peace in the Ukraine.  We pray to for Russia.  We pray for everyone involved to surrender it all to Christ.

Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting.  Pope Francis has called us to offer our fasting up for the tribulation in the Ukraine.  On Fridays of Lent, we abstain from meat.  We can offer this sacrifice for the world.

The last pillar of Lent is almsgiving.  May we open ourselves to give in accord with our means to help those most in need.

What is your greatest distress?  Have you offered it up to God?

A Troubled World

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One does not have to look far to see that we live in a troubled world. We have been dealing with the Coronavirus for two years now. Right now, the number of cases in the United States has dropped significantly in the last month. I pray the rest of the world is also experiencing a drop in the number of cases. There is talk that we are moving from a “pandemic” to an “endemic”. We pray for the end to the Coronavirus. Until that happens we pray for God’s help with dealing with the Coronavirus.

However, it is not the only struggle we face. There are shootings. There are riots. There is continued drug use as people use drugs to escape the problems they face in the world. Another challenge that we face is that of polarization, division among the people. We see it in the response to the Coronavirus. There are those who advocate for vaccines. However, there are those skeptical about how fast the vaccine was developed (do we truly know its potential side effects). There are those who argue for everyone to wear facemasks for the safety of all. On the other side, there are those who don’t want to wear a mask whether they are vaccinated or not.

While people speak of relativism, where one is free to believe whatever they want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, we seem to be more divided than ever. It can be hard to get the two sides of any issue to truly dialogue. In a world that preaches tolerance, I fear we are more divided than ever.

We hear that an individual must be free to believe whatever one wants with the qualification “unless as it doesn’t hurt anyone. In a relativistic society, there is no universal truth. In faith in Jesus Christ there is Truth, “and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32b). This Truth is set by God.

We are the midst of a difficult situation in the Ukraine. It seems to be the world against Russia and the Ukraine ends up in the firing line. Just yesterday Russia announced that it is sending “peacekeeping” forces into two provinces in eastern Russia. People are skeptical about what Russia is really up to. What is their real motive?

I don’t know what Russia’s true motives are. Are we going to end up in war? I pray for peace. Would it be a just war? One of the criteria of a “just war” is the question of “legitimate authority.” Does Russia have the authority to intervene unilaterally? Another criteria in just war theory is the “probability” of success. Would anything be accomplished by military action in the Ukraine?

I don’t know. I don’t know what motives are really at play here. I know know that we must pray for everyone involved in the conflict in the Ukraine regardless of what side they are on. In fact, it should not be about taking sides. Our intent should always be to do what is right and just in God’s eyes for God is the only one who is all-knowing. We need to place our trust in God. We pray that God govern the actions of all involved.

I believe it is going to take every one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (see Isaiah 11:1-2, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1830-1832) to properly deal with the situation in the Ukraine. The seven gifts are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, right judgment (counsel), fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. We need “knowledge” to be aware of what is really going on. We need “understanding” to understand the dynamics of what is going on. We need “wisdom” to see the situation as God sees it. We need to allow God to give us “right judgment” of what we are to do and the fortitude (courage) to do it. We need piety and fear of the Lord to lead us to trust in the Lord’s leadership in how the conflict is dealt with.

We live in a troubled and divided world. I think the situation has worsened in recent years as people stop believing in God. I know I am not all-knowing. You are not either. None of the political leaders involved in this conflict is all-knowing. Only God is. And so we pray for those in leadership positions listen to the guidance of our Lord in how they deal with the situation in the Ukraine. We pray for peace. We pray “thy will be done.”

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Are We Really Supposed to Love our Enemies?

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As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Plain, today’s gospel begins, “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.“

Are we really supposed to love our enemies? That might seem impossible. After all, if we love them, are they still our enemies? It might seem ridiculous to do good to those who hate us. We might think that we shouldn’t have to be nice to them until they start being nice to us.

Is it impossible to love our enemies, to do good to them? No. First, remember that nothing is impossible for God. Secondly, look at our first reading. Saul has become jealous of David. Saul is searching for David with “three thousand picked men.” Saul has made an enemy of David.

With Saul attempting to get rid of David, others would not have faulted David if he killed Saul. They would have seen it as self-defense. In paragraph 2263 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read, “The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. “The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one’s own life; and the killing of the aggressor…. the one is intended, the other is not” (my emphasis). We may defend ourselves but only when necessary.

David finds himself with the opportunity to kill Saul when he finds them all asleep “because the LORD had put them into a deep slumber.” Abishai even offers to kill Saul with his spear for David.

How does David respond to Abishai’s offer? He “said to Abishai, “Do not harm him.“” Why? Saul is God’s anointed.

Whether they know it or not, everyone is a child of God. Thus we are called to love our enemies, do good to others, and pray for them.”

When Saul awakens, he learns that David has spared his life. In verse 25 (not part of today’s reading), Saul “said to David: “Blessed are you, my son David!” David’s sparing of Saul’s changes Saul’s attitude for the moment.

Do you have enemies? Do you have people who hate you? Are there people who have hurt you? You may not want to love them or do good to them. It might even seem hard to pray for them. We think if they started it, they should have to be the one to make the first step towards reconciliation.

This might seem logical. “Even sinners love those who love them.” Even sinners do good to those who first do good to them.

Do you think the world is doing okay or does it need to change? If we do realize that it needs to change, it would be easy to put that effort on people we think have done wrong. Anyone, including ourselves, who has done wrong should be willing to make the first step towards change, but let’s face it. They don’t.

If we want the world to change, we need to be willing to make the first step. We shouldn’t hold anything back in doing good. Jesus held nothing back in giving his life for us on the Cross.

So, we pray God’s help that we be like him, “slow to anger and abounding in kindness.“

Jesus offers the Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

We need to stop judging others. We need to stop condemning others. We need to forgive others. We should do this not simply so that we won’t be judged or so that we will be forgiving. We need to do them because it is the loving thing to do.

It is our hope that when we love our enemies, when we do good to them, that it will change them. Saul’s heart changed for the moment. We pray for all to change their hearts to God’s loving way. However, if they do not change, we must still go on loving them, doing good for them, and praying for them.

It’s what Jesus did for us. God did not wait for us to stop sinning before sending Jesus. “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

New Video – Starting Lent Right

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I just uploaded the video and slides from my last presentation, Starting Lent Right, at www.renewaloffaith.org/startinglentright.

For the next few days you may complete an evaluation of the presentation online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScNg08BBe2TvL4tM6GsFmrT73ZZv-BPLlq5oS4ASNZ-ki84cw/viewform?usp=sf_link

At one point in the presentation, I mention a document I have that outlines the scriptural origins of the Stations of the Cross. Click here to see that document.

During the video, one participant asked about past custom of Wednesday fasting/abstinence. I could not quickly find a distinct reason this practice was discontinued but here is a link to an interesting article on the topic – https://aleteia.org/2020/02/19/how-wednesdays-became-fasting-days-in-the-catholic-church/ Given the origin of why it was done on Wednesdays with the false god Mercury, we could say no longer an issue today.

Now, a look ahead to my next series:
Finding Peace and Healing in a Troubled World – When we are physically ill, our bodies need healing.  We also need healing of our souls.  God offers healing through the Anointing of the Sick.  When we sin, we need forgiveness.  God forgives us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We have past hurts that need healing.  Fr. Jeff will offer a series of presentations addressing these topics (webinar at 6:30 pm) on March 10th, 24th, and April 7th. You can register for the first one on March 10th at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1xTGgPgoR6eSf-b7LPds5A

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Final Reflections on “The Catholic Gentleman”

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Three weeks ago I began a series of articles reflecting on my reading of Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). Today, I would like to offer my sixth and final article on The Catholic Gentleman. (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”, “We Need to Stand for Something”, “How Do You Look at Things?”, and “Work, Sainthood, and Holiness”)

In chapter 23 Guzman turns specifically to the question, “What is a Catholic Gentleman?”, given the chapter this question as its title. He begins, “We live in a time where there are precious few clear-cut images men can aspire to. Machismo and aggression seem to be the only acceptable attributes for men of late” (125). I was surprised by this statement as others say that men are not allowed to be “strong” but rather are left to be timid and silent, afraid of speaking up for traditional male characteristics.

Speaking of the “Catholic gentleman”, Guzman continues, “Still, many men pine for refinement, for civility, for a code of conduct by which to live. And so the moniker “Catholic gentleman” is especially striking, representing a man who knows his duty and carries it out with a dash of style and panache” (125). He then goes on to present ideals for what a Catholic gentleman should be like, beginning, “First and foremost, a Catholic gentleman is Catholic” (125). This might seem obvious but being Catholic is not just being baptized and calling ourselves Catholic. To be Catholic is to be “permeated to the core by the faith” (125). To truly and wholly be Catholic, it must be a fundamental part of who we are. Our faith should be evident in everything we do. Guzman describes this as, “The faith is the air he breathes, and his whole life is dedicated to knowing and following Jesus Christ with his whole heart” (125-126).

A Catholic gentleman openly displays his faith, serving as a witness to the truth and beauty that God offers us (Guzman, 126).

The second ideal Guzman presents regards being “gentle.” “Gentleness is not highly valued for men in our culture….But gentleness is not weakness – it is strength under control” (126). A Catholic gentleman is not weak. In fact, he “has strength in reserve” (127). Guzman continues, “His power is channeled and harnessed, fully under the control of a disciplined will” (127).

Guzman continues, “Finally, a Catholic gentleman is a servant leader” (127). A true leader does not lead for his own good. Jesus serves as a prime example for the Son of Man came not be served but to serve (see Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). Guzman continues, “Authority is found not in claiming our rights but in laying them down in order to seek the well-being of others” (128). To be a Catholic gentleman is to love our neighbor, doing what we can to help others.

Do we always succeed? No, in fact, as Guzman writes, “It often seems as if we fall much more than we scale the heights…Habitual sins plague us and enslave us” (130). What are we to do? We turn to Jesus. In Mark 2:17 we hear Jesus say, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” We must turn our weaknesses over to Jesus. In doing so, we are made strong (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

To succeed we need God. Thus, we need to pray. We may not be sure how to pray. Guzman writes, “It starts very small and quiet.” We need to surrender ourselves to God. We need to let God take over our prayer. We need to listen to what God has to say (Guzman, 141). Sometimes we have to wait for an answer. Waiting is not easy. (For more on prayer, see my three-part series of presentations, Giving Our Hearts to God: What It Means to Pray.)

Knowing that purity can be one of our struggles, Guzman includes a chapter on purity. Specifically he speaks of pornography. He writes, “It hurts real women. One of the chief seductions of porn is that it feels so harmless in the moment” (145). It is not harmless. “It rewires your brain” (146). It changes the way we look at others. Guzman writes, “Purity is about loving in the right way” (147). We should ask ourselves why we look at pornography. “What need are we trying to fill? Are we hungry for affirmation? For intimacy? Are we longing for human connection?” (Guzman, 147). Why do we look for human connection in pornography that objectifies sex and removes the intimacy? (see my article, “Chastity and Sexuality”) Guzman writes, “It is controlling our sexual energy instead of allowing it to control us” (148).

To conclude, to be a Catholic gentleman (or lady), we must embrace our faith. We need to stop letting the world dictate what we believe and let God be in charge of our lives. In our faith, we have something worth fighting for. Many martyrs have died for our faith. We ask their intercession that we may have the same strength of faith as they have.

This concludes my series on Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman. I hope you have enjoyed it and understand more what it means to be Catholic. If you would like to know more, I encourage you to read the book for yourself.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – Homily

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6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6, (40:5a)
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20
Luke 6:17, 20-26
February 13, 2022

In this gospel passage Jesus begins his Sermon on the Plain.  The passage is explicit in saying He “stood on a stretch of level ground.”  Why does it specify “level ground”?

This is to show that Jesus fulfills prophecies that speak of how the mountains will be made low and the valleys will be filled in.  It also leads into a theme evident in Luke’s Beatitudes and throughout the gospel of Luke, “the reversal of fortune.”  God will make things right.  For example, the hungry will be satisfied and those “who are filled now…will be hungry.”

As we move into Luke’s Beatitudes, we should think about what it means to be “blessed.”  Some translations use the word “happy” in place of “blessed,” but I do not think the word “happy” is adequate.  It is not just a matter of being happy as in having no concerns or sadness. 

To be “blessed” is to be in right relationship with God.

One who is poor understands that something is lacking for them.  They open themselves to something more.  They can open themselves to the Kingdom of God while the one who is rich may think they already have all they need.

One who is hungry longs for something more.  They look for what will truly fulfill them.  They look for God.  One who thinks they are filled now does not open themselves to what God offers.

One who weeps at bad things will find good things in Heaven.

Being a Christian is not easy.  It can lead to people hating us, such that they exclude and insult us.  What does Jesus say about this?  When we are hated “on account” of our faith in Jesus, we are “blessed.”  If people exclude for our faith, it shows that we are truly living our faith.  It is not us they reject.  It is God they reject.

Are you among those who are “blessed” or are you among those who will experience “woe”?

Not everyone who shows up in church is necessarily a disciple.  As Jesus began to preach on “level ground,” there was “a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people.”  The “and” indicates that there were people there who were not his disciples.  Perhaps they would become disciples but just being there did not make them disciples.

There is always both people who follow God and those who do not.  Jeremiah frequently experienced this as a prophet.  In today’s first reading he speaks of the “cursed” and the “blessed.”

The “cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He is like a barren bush in the desert.”  We should be able to trust human beings but not instead of the Lord.  To be our trust in human beings and flesh over the Lord is to turn “away from the Lord.”  To choose to live as others do instead of living according to the Lord’s way is to turn “away from the Lord.”  This is not a good choice.

Rather, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.  He is like a tree planted besides the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream.  It fears not the heat…in the year of drought it shows no distress.”

The water?  The water is the waters of Baptism.  It is the living waters of the Holy Spirit.

When we live in faith and trust in Jesus Christ, when we drink the waters of the Holy Spirit our problems don’t go away but the Lord does walk with us.  We do not need to fear the heat.  We need not distress.  We may suffer but the Lord is with us.

Are you led by the world or by faith? 

Our faith is not set by a human vote of what people want.  The teaching of our faith is not founded on human thought.  It comes to us through the Church but it is determined by God.  Trust in God.

The very first verse of the first psalm is “Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked.”  Rather, we should delight “in the law of the LORD.”  We should not take the “law” for granted.  As the first psalm continues, we should meditate on the law day and night. 

What does it mean to “meditate” on the law of the Lord? 

It is to constantly open ourselves to the Lord speaking to us of how He calls us to live.  We are humans.  We do not know everything but we can always strive to learn and better live the ways of the Lord. 

“Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.”

Work, Sainthood, and Holiness

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This is the fifth of sixth articles I offer here inspired by my reading of Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”, and “We Need to Stand for Something”, and “How Do You Look at Things?”.)

Many people see work as something we do only to make money to be pay for food, water, clothing, a place to live, and to have the money to do the things we want to do to enjoy ourselves. We certainly need food, water, clothing, and a place to live. These are things that everyone has a basic right to from the dignity given to them by God and under our Declaration of Independence where it speaks of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Everyone has a right to a “just wage” for the work they do. This falls under the Seventh Commandment, You shall not steal (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2434 and Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paragraphs 301-303). As to having money to be able to do the things we enjoy, there is nothing wrong with this in moderation.

However, work should not be seen as something we do only to get what we really want. Work is a fundamental part of what we are created for. In Genesis 2:15, we read, “The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.” In doing the work God created us, we find fulfillment.

Guzman discusses the “The Value of Work” in chapter 17. Sometimes we “dream big.” There is nothing wrong in having big dreams. However, as Guzman writes, “But there is a hidden danger in dreaming so big that we miss the often silent, subtle, and just-as-heroic duty of our daily work” (93). He speaks of the “witness of countless saints – such as Francis de Sales, Benedict, Josemaria Escriva, and many more – is that heroism is often found in the mundane tasks of our employment that we would rather ignore in favor of something bigger” (93).

Sometimes our greatest achievements might go unnoticed because they come in the little things. Guzman writes, “We are called to be co-creators with the Creator – to make rather than merely to consume. Making things is essential to our nature as creatures made in the image of a God who makes” (94).

Relating to what I said above about work, Guzman writes, “For most of history, work was a matter of survival. If a person wanted to eat, he had to hunt or plow fields and scatter seeds. It was backbreaking and exhausting, but the one thing it wasn’t was meaningless” (94). In physical work, we know what we are trying to do and we know when it is finished. We can find enjoyable in knowing we have completed a task.

Guzman speaks of frequent use of the phrase, “I’d rather be…” as revealing a “deep discontent with ordinary life” (95). We have lost appreciation for basic tasks. I do not mean to say we should enjoy every task we do. We all have tasks to do that we may not enjoy but are necessary for basic needs and to make the world a better place. Sometimes we look to be heroes. Guzman writes about heroism that is not based on seeking to be famous (pride). “Heroism is all about doing what we are called to do in this moment, and doing it well and with gratitude” (95).

We should ask ourselves what work is God calling us to. What is God’s Will? Here Guzman writes, “But if you never do anything in life but embrace the will of God revealed in the small, hidden duty of the moment, you can still be a saint, and a very great saint” (96). (Guzman ends his chapter on work with “A Prayer to Saint Joseph before Work” by Pope Saint Pius X that can be found online at https://catholicgentleman.com/2016/03/a-prayer-to-st-joseph-before-work/#:~:text=O%20Glorious%20Saint%20Joseph%2C%20model,an%20honor%20to%20employ%20and.)

Guzman then offers a short chapter entitled, “Who Wants to be a Saint?” He writes, “No, at its heart sainthood isn’t about doing amazing feats, but about becoming something extraordinary. It’s about sharing in God’s nature and in his divine life. It’s about becoming a living model of Jesus Christ” (99). If you want to be saint, this is what we called to.

In Baptism we are anointed as priest, prophet, and king. Guzman next offers a discussion of how men are called to live this out (102ff). Speaking of the prophetic role for fathers, he reminds us of Jesus’ words, “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to be witness to the truth” (John 18:37)” and then says, “we fathers are called to announce and reveal the truth about God to our families” (103). The education of faith starts and centers in the home, the domestic church (see my article “Helping Our Children to be Disciples”).

Turning to the role of fathers as “priests” who offer sacrifices for their children, Guzman writes, “The answer is that we, as fathers, are called to imitate Jesus Christ by offering prayers and sacrifices on behalf of our families. We are called to seek our families, sanctification and salvation through our loving, self-giving sacrifice – just as Jesus saves and sanctifies us through his sacrificial offering” (106). A father must pray for his family. A father can offer sacrifice, “Pitching in with the housework, playing with an attention-hungry toddler, changing a diaper, or mowing the lawn can all be sacrificial if they are done with love and a willing spirit” (107).

Then, speaking of the role of a father as king, Guzman writes “Of all the roles Christ fulfilled, his role as king is most likely to offend modern sensibilities. Likewise, the idea that a father, or any man, might have authority is strongly distasteful to our egalitarian values” (107). Guzman later continues, “This authority is not a weapon to be wielded but, rather, a mandate to serve” (108). The authority can misused. When it is misused, “we will incur Christ’s anger” (109). It is an authority based totally on love.

This leads Guzman to a discussion of holiness where he begins, “Holiness: The word is haloed by mystique. For some, it is an appealing and enthralling word, inspiring struggle toward a goal. For others, it is an intimidating word, signaling an impossibly remote and unattainable ideal…The simple fact, though, is that holiness isn’t for a select few; it is for every everyone” (112).

He goes on to says holiness “consists in one thing only: obedience to the will of God at every moment. That’s it. Seek God’s will and do it, and you will be holy; you will be a saint” (113). Being holy is not always easy. For Jesus, it was “horrifically painful” (115) but it saved us for our sins. Being holy is not just a matter of showing up at church occasionally. It starts there. “We grow by showing up, day after day. We mature by never quitting, despite frequent falls, discouragement, and darkness” (123).

This concludes this fifth article on The Catholic Gentleman. I hope it is an aid for you on your spiritual journey. I pray it helps you. I hope to write the sixth and final article soon.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

God’s Calling

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We are all called to be disciples of Jesus. We are all called to serve God in some way. In today’s readings we hear three call narratives.

It begins with the call of Isaiah in our first reading. Isaiah is given a vision of “the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne.” He sees the Lord in his greatness with the seraphim by the Lord. “They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of host! All the earth is filled with his glory!“” Does this sound familiar? It should. It is the beginning of the Sanctus that we sing at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass.

As Isaiah sees this incredible vision, as he sees the Lord, he feels unworthy. In fact, he feels doomed for he knows he is “a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” He does not feel worthy to see the Lord or to serve the Lord.

The Lord knows Isaiah’s faults. The Lord knows Isaiah’s sins. Yet, the Lord still chooses to call Isaiah to be a prophet. What about Isaiah’s unworthiness? The Lord knows what to do. He sends one of the seraphim with an ember to touch Isaiah’s lips. The fire of the ember is the Lord removing Isaiah’s wickedness and purging his sins.

One might ask why the ember is touched to Isaiah’s lips. Isaiah is called to be a prophet of the Lord. He will speak God’s Word to the people. So, his lips are cleansed to proclaim the Word.

In our second reading Paul speaks of his calling. He writes to remind the Corinthians of the gospel that he preached to them. This is his calling. The gospel that he preached was not his own. It is the gospel that he himself received from the lord, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.“

Paul speaks of himself as “born abnormally.” He was a zealous Jew who persecuted the first Christians. He never met Jesus before the Resurrection. His meeting Jesus was the risen Jesus. Because he persecuted the Christians, Paul says, “For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle.“

So, how does Paul become an apostle? There he says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” Paul did not become a great apostle on his own. The Lord made him a great apostle and sent him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

Then, in the gospel, we hear that Jesus “taught the crowds from the boat.” Jesus came to preach the gospel (“He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come” Mark 1:38.)

As Jesus was preaching, because of the crowds pressing in, He got into a boat, “the one belonging to Simon,” and preached from the boat. When He finished preaching, “he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Peter and the others had been fishing all night and “caught nothing.” Yet, as Jesus’ command, Peter lowered the nets. On their own they caught nothing. With Jesus, “they caught a great number of fish.” So many that they had to signal for help.

Recognizing the significance of this, Peter “fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Like Isaiah and Paul, Peter recognized his own unworthiness. Still, Jesus called him to be first among the disciples. “They left everything and followed him.“

On our own, we can do nothing. We are unworthy sinners but the Lord will remove our wickedness and purge our sins when we come to him confessing our sins. The Lord makes us worthy. When we feel we can’t do what He asks of us on our own, we can signal to others for help as we are called to be one body in Christ.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

How Do You Look at Things?

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This will be my fourth article inspired by Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the previous articles see “Are You for Real?”, “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”, and “We Need to Stand for Something”). I hope these articles are helpful in your spiritual journey. I am enjoying writing them. Guzman offers us a lot to think about.

That being said, today I begin with Guzman’s discussion of manhood in the context of “Tradition.” Tradition here is not a simple custom like what your family does for Christmas. Here tradition is the long tradition about what our faith teaches that have been handed down for ages. It is God revealing to us how we should live. Guzman calls tradition “the living memory of the church” (71).

With this in mind, Guzman writes, “Masculine identity, like the Catholic faith itself, is a gift, a traditioned thing. We do not make manhood in our own image. We do not decide what it is. Manhood is something that preceded us, a reality that we must strive to achieve and receive” (70-71). The concepts of what it means to be a Catholic gentleman is not for each man to decide. We decide the details of our lives but this takes God’s plan as its foundation (See Jeremiah 29:11). How we could we ever think we could come up with a better plan than God?

It’s not that nothing should ever change. However, “Yes, progression and change can and do occur, but such change should be organic, like the growth of a body” (71). The change should not be radically new. Rather, it flows from what our faith has always taught.

From tradition, Guzman moves to a discussion of suffering. The world sees suffering as something to avoid at all costs. However, our faith teaches that good can come from suffering. There is no greater example of this than the suffering Jesus endures on the Cross. From his suffering comes our salvation.

Guzman speaks of the growth that we can experience through our suffering. He writes, “Growth is painful, but the struggle is the very thing that breeds new strength” (74). Regarding what it means to be a Catholic gentleman, Guzman writes, “Real men know how to suffer. They don’t seek it out, but they recognize that suffering is a fact of life…Suffering – whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual – provides an opportunity for personal growth. It can especially help us to develop wisdom, compassion, and fortitude” (75).

Yes, suffering can help us grow. It can also be dangerous. It involves how we look at the type of suffering we face. For example, Guzman writes, “The rushing waters of a river can be dangerous and even deadly. But when channeled into a turbine, they can be harnessed in order to generate enough electricity for a small town” (76). In choosing the latter view, we can become great witnesses to our faith.

From suffering, Guzman moves to how we are called to be “courteous” as Catholic gentlemen. He describes courtesy as “one of the quintessential attributes of a gentleman…in fact, the hallmark of a gentleman” (78). Courtesy is more than just being polite, like opening a door for someone. “It shows itself in small gestures of kindness, sacrifices bestowed on others out of sheer abundance of the heart. The courteous person recognizes the inherent dignity of everyone and thus treats others with reverence and honor, placing their needs before his own” (79).

Guzman says “courtesy does not come naturally, it is a skill that must be cultivated. We are all naturally selfish” (80). We focus on our own lives too much. The self-focus isn’t always intentional. Sometimes we simply don’t pay attention to what is going on around us. Have you ever been in the grocery store waiting to get one item off the shelf but you have to wait for someone ahead of you that seems to have no idea you are there? We need to pay attention to others around us.

We show our love for others in being courteous to others. In our love for others we are called to protect those we love. Guzman writes, “For there is one thing that should compel any man to fight, however reluctantly, and that is love – love of family, love of country, love of freedom. When we love something, it is nearly impossible not to fight for it, to lay down our lives for it” (82). I do not think Guzman means to call for war. We should always work for peaceful solutions but we need to firm in standing up for what it right and for the safety of those around us.

Guzman writes, “Protection of the beloved, and of the vulnerable and the defenseless, is part and parcel of manhood. It is a special calling for us men, as God has endowed us with natural physical strength. With this strength comes responsibility to defend the weak” (83). For females reading this, I don’t think he means women aren’t capable of protected themselves or their children. (Try and stand between a large female animal and her offspring and see what happens.) Males tend to be stronger than females (Guzman, 85).. This does not make men any better than women. We need to think how a married couple can work together as husband and wife, each doing what God calls them to.

This leads to a discussion of marriage. Guzman writes, “People often enter into marriage with no understanding of what it is, and they frequently choose their mates for all the wrong reasons” (87).

Marriage involves unity. The male and female bodies signify unity in the way their bodies compliment one another in a way that two males or two females do not. Marriage is also about procreation of children, something lost in a world where contraception is considered normal (see Guzman, 89).

Here Guzman cites paragraph 1601 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church when he includes, “the matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring” (90).

I will conclude here for today with our next topic from Guzman’s The Catholic Gentleman being the topic of work. I hope you will continue to read these articles. However, do not use my articles to say you do not need to read the book for yourself. It is only 175 pages and is not hard-reading. While I am writing several articles inspired by Guzman’s book, I am not telling you all that he writes. I’m just trying to help you look at these things in a new way.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

We Need to Stand for Something

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Today I continue my series inspired by Sam Guzman’s book, The Catholic Gentleman: Living Authentic Manhood Today (San Francisco: Ignatius Press. 2019). (For the two previous articles see “Are You for Real?” and “More from “The Catholic Gentleman”)

Today I would like to reflect on what Guzman says about “virtue” and “code.” Here, I refer to a question I proposed in the first article, “Are You for Real?” in this series, “do you want to act nice or do you want to be nice?” Virtue is not simply acting nice. After reflecting on the dedicated service of the soldiers who stormed Normandy on June 6, 1994, Guzman writes, “Virtue is what makes a man. It’s what made those men plunge into icy waters and fight and keep fighting for an idea, a principle – freedom” (44).

There is a saying that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” It is true that as we grow older, we can become set in our ways. Sometimes we find ourselves giving up on trying to change our bad behaviors. We might think it is too late to change or that if we haven’t changed by now, we aren’t going to. That doesn’t have to be true. Guzman writes, “Interestingly, modern neuroscience has discovered something scientists call neuroplasticity. This means that the mind is not static but, rather, grows and develops over time, adapting itself to repeated actions” (45). We can change. It may be difficult. When change seems impossible we can turn to God.

Paul tells the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1, see also 2 Thessalonians 3:9). Today, saying we imitate someone often means we act like someone. To be an imitator of Paul and, thus, Christ, is not simply to act like them. It is to become like them. It begins with acting like them but it is deeper. In following their example and practicing good acts, “It will become a habit…If we repeatedly do the right thing, it will become easier for us to do the right thing. And the easier choosing the good becomes, the harder it will be to do the wrong thing” (Guzman, 45). We make the habit part of who we are. Here is virtue.

We need virtue. Guzman writes, “A man without virtue, on the other hand, is helpless. He is led by his appetites, his passions, his passions, which scream at him all day. He has no ability to control himself, to say no to his whims and impulses” (46). If virtue is lost, as is happening, we lose the good. So, we ask God to help us as individuals and as a society to rekindle in us the light of faith and virtue.

Guzman then discusses “On the levels of nature” (46) the four virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. He writes, “Prudence is the ability to make wise judgments, to see all the factors and make the best choices. This ability doesn’t come automatically. Left to ourselves, we are impulsive” (46). We see something we want and we take it. We need to grow beyond this. Guzman uses the example of the child who eats the candy regardless of what it does for their appetite for dinner. He writes, “The adult, the man however, is prudent. He can see where things are going” (46). So, we resist the candy (well, at least we try) because we want to save room for dinner. We see beyond the moment to make wiser decisions.

Turning to justice, Guzman writes, “Justice is the firm resolve to give to God and neighbor what is owed to each” (47). Justice is not about revenge. It calls us to care for one another. It calls us to respect one another whether we agree or not. Thus, as Guzman writes concerning justice, “It ultimately leads toward the common good and the flourishing of society” (47).

Guzman describes fortitude as “stick-to-it-iveness,” meaning, we are determined to purse the good. In fortitude, we have the courage to do what it right (Guzman 47-48). As such, we should remember that fortitude is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Turning to temperance, Guzman says “Temperance is moderation in all things” (48). We need to limit ourselves for a greater good. Here Guzman writes about drinking alcohol. Drinking alcohol is not immoral. “What is immoral, however, is abusing alcohol” 51). We need to control how much we drink so that we remain in good behavior. As Guzman writes, we should never drink because we are unhappy. If we drink in order to escape distress, all we do is cover it up for the moment. On the other hand, he writes, “drink for conviviality. Conviviality is a word we don’t use enough these days. It simply means the joy of being together” (52).

We need something to guide us. We need something to live by, a code. Here Guzman writes, “If there is one thing we can say about modern men, it is that we do not live by a code…Modern men are frequently pragmatists. We do what is convenient and comfortable in the moment, whatever causes the least pain” (60-61). Part of this is that we sometimes keep silent to keep the peace. Jesus did not come to keep the peace. When we believe in him, there will be division between us and those who do not believe (see Luke 12:51).

We need a code to live by. Guzman writes, “But for a code of life to exist, a man must acknowledge a higher law, an objective truth…To live by a code, one must believe in unchanging principles that aren’t mere feelings or opinions but are true at the deepest level” (61). Where do we find this code? It is not determined by the individual choice of human beings. For a code to be unchanging, it must come from something that is unchanging, eternal. This is God. God sets this higher code. It is God who defines the objective truth. In seeking God’s Truth, we find this “higher law.”

In seeking virtue and the higher law, we develop intrinsic values that lead us to look beyond ourselves to do what is truly good even knowing “we will get nothing in return” (Guzman, 61). These intrinsic values are better than extrinsic values where we are motivated by our desire to win the approval of others (Guzman, 62).

When our primary motivation is to do what others think is good, even when it is a majority, what is defined as good is ever-changing. Since it is always changing, our commitment remains low, We are not willing to die for it. God gives us something worth dying for. We see proof of this in the martyrs. Guzman writes, “The martyrs went joyfully to unspeakable torments because they were convinced that Christ is real, that the Resurrection is real, and that heaven is real” (62).

Guzman continues, “The question we must ask ourselves is: What do we believe deeply enough to die for? Until we can answer that question, we cannot know what we are living for” (62).

Are you willing to die for Christ? He died for you.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff