Short Reflection for the 6th Sunday of Easter (B) Readings: Acts 10: 25-26. 34-35. 44-48; 1 John 4: 7-10; John 15: 9-17 Selected Passage: “I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.” (John 15: 15) Meditation: Among the many names given to the followers of Jesus, the title: “FRIENDS of Jesus” is, no doubt, the closest to the heart of discipleship. Jesus calls us friends, because he shares with us all he has from the Father Yes. Have no fear, Jesus is our FRIEND and we are his…! Visit www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

The Old Wineskin Keep Bursting...

The Old Wineskins Keep on Bursting… Scattered thoughts on the pope's "attitude adjustment program", clericalism and the refusal to make necessary changes to Church structures. By Robert Mickens | Vatican City Pope Francis recently ordained nine new presbyters for the Diocese of Rome.And he told them not to think they're embarking on "an ecclesiastical career", as it was once said in the old days. "This is not a 'career'," the pope warned them in Italian." It's a service... that has a style you must follow. The style of closeness, the style of compassion and the style of tenderness. This is the style of God -- closeness, compassion, tenderness." Pope Francis repeated on this fine morning before the main altar in St. Peter's Basilica on the day that the Church marked "Good Shepherd Sunday". He then repeated the advice he's given out so many times before -- that priests and bishops must be like shepherds that walk "at times ahead of the flock, at times in the middle or behind... but, always there, with the people of God". The 84-year-old pope did not fail to caution these young men against the allure of money or the temptation to treat the people in their care as if they were employees. He also told them not to be afraid of the challenges ahead, promising that all would be well if they remained close to God in prayer, to their bishop in humility, their fellow priests in unity and the "holy faithful people of God" from whom they "were elected". The pope's fine words and the Church's brutal reality These are lovely words. Unfortunately, they don't match the reality of how the ordained presbyterate is envisioned or actually exercised in many parts of the Church. And there is a simple reason for that. The pope's language is contradicted (or, at least, attenuated) by the language used in the official Catholic teaching and legislation regarding the ordained priesthood -- and in the Church's very structures. The Code of Canon Law speaks about commissioning men to the "sacred ministries", preferring the term "priest" (sacerdos) to that of presbyter. The difference in terminology is not unimportant. The connotations surrounding the word sacerdos have cultic overtones more connected to the Hebrew notion of one who offers sacrifices, whereas presbyter is the word the early Christian community used to describe those whom we today call ordained priests. Only later, when it deals with parishes, does the code refer to the "sacred order of the presbyterate". But it still describes presbyteral ministry in the classic language "of teaching, sanctifying and ruling (docendi, sanctificandi et regendi) the people of God". The language of power The code points out that one becomes a "cleric" after ordination to the diaconate. And at that point he receives the "power of orders" (potestas ordinis) and "power of ecclesiastical governance" (potestas regiminis ecclesiastici). The operative word here is potestas -- power. This is emphasized once more in the section on removing men from the clerical state. The code states clearly that they are "prohibited from exercising the power of orders". The Code of Canon Law also underlines that only ordained presbyters have the "power" to absolve sins. "For the valid absolution of sins it is required that, besides the power received through sacred ordination, the minister possesses the faculty to exercise that power over the faithful to whom he imparts absolution" (Can. 966). Exercising power over the faithful! Good Lord! But this is exactly what the priest does in the confessional. And this is so commonly understood as such, that Pope Francis has to keep reminding priests that they must be merciful to penitents above all else. That's because the code puts the emphasis in the wrong place, saying the confessor "acts as judge as well as healer" and is "the minister of divine justice as well as of mercy" (Can. 978). Judge first, healer second. The pope keeps insisting that it's the other way around. Or it should be. But that is not the official language or ethos of the Church. Need for extensive change in language and structures It is true that in 2009 Benedict XVI officially changed the wording in Canons 1008 and 1009 that deal with the sacrament of Holy Orders. Instead of emphasizing that bishops and presbyters "shepherd" the People of God, Can. 1008 now says they "serve" them. Eliminated is the reference to "teaching, sanctifying and ruling". But only in this specific canon. These words, and this concept, remain elsewhere. A new clause in Can. 1009 (but mainly for other political/ecclesiological reasons linked to the debate over the status of deacons) that states: "Those who are constituted in the order of the episcopate or the presbyterate receive the mission and capacity to act in the person of Christ the Head, whereas deacons are empowered to serve the People of God in the ministries of the liturgy, the word and charity". Nonetheless, the connotations of having power, being specially "elected", being administrators of the sacred... all remain. This is all part of a bigger ethos that permeates the entire Church. It is called clericalism. And it is something all Catholics are infected with to some degree or another. All of us. Whether we are conscious of it or not. The limits of Pope Francis' "attitude adjustment program "A big part of the problem rests with our seminaries, most of which set our future presbyters apart from the rest of the people of God from the outset, to prepare them for their so-called "service". Many places enforce a clerical dress code or allow these men who are not even clerics yet to begin dressing like clerics. Seminarians in dog collars and cassocks masquerading as "clerics" -- and not just through the streets of Rome. Most lay people probably think there is nothing wrong with, so much has the clericalist mentality permeated all levels of the Church these past centuries. There is nothing that feeds clericalism in a more subtle, yet incisive way than the use of the titles. And it begins when a newly ordained 25-year-old priest is called "Father" by someone who is old enough to be his grandmother or great-grandfather. It's like the Mormons calling their teenage missionaries "elders". Words matter and have a significance. And an apt word to describe both of the cases above is "weird". Until the structures and laws are changed, the use of terms like "service" and "servant-leadership" will remain mere slogans from an ecumenical council that has not yet been implemented. The current pope has employed Vatican II language in a marvelous way in his "attitude adjustment program" aimed at changing the mentality or ethos of the Church. But changing the mentality is not enough. Right thinking alone cannot correct a bad system. Or put another way, you can't put new wine in old wineskins. This is exactly what well-intentioned Catholics -- including many good men who have been "commissioned to the sacred ministries" -- have been trying in these past five decades or more. It should be clear to all that the wineskins keep bursting. And we have one hell of a mess on our hands. It's well past the time for new wineskins -- new and reformed structures. Not just regarding ministry, but in many other areas of the Church, as well. But it's still not clear whether Pope Francis has the courage to provide them. Or whether he still has time. Read more at: https://international.la-croix.com/news/letter-from-rome/the-old-wineskins-keep-on-bursting/14214

An Honorable Defeat

AN HONORABLE DEFEAT After Jesus died in the most humiliating way a person could die at that time, by being crucified, the first generation of Christians had a massive struggle with both the fact that he died and particularly with the manner in which he died. For them, if Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, he wasn’t supposed to die at all. God is above death and certainly beyond being killed by humans. Moreover, as a creedal doctrine, they believed that death was the result of sin and, thus, if someone did not sin, he or she was not supposed to die. But Jesus had died. Most faith-perplexing of all, was the humiliating manner of his death. Crucifixion was designed by the Romans not just as capital punishment but as a manner of death that totally and publicly humiliated the person’s body. Jesus died a most humiliating death. No one called Good Friday “good” during the first days and years following his death. However, given his resurrection, they intuited without explicitly understanding, that Jesus’ defeat in the crucifixion was the ultimate triumph and that the categories that make for victory and defeat were now forever different. For several years after the resurrection, Christians were reluctant to mention the manner of Jesus’ death. It was a defeat in the eyes of the world, and they were at loss to explain it. So, they remained mostly silent about it. St. Paul’s conversion and his subsequent insights changed this. As someone who was raised in the Jewish faith, Paul also struggled with explaining how a humiliating defeat in this world could be in fact a victory. However, after his conversion to Christianity he eventually understood how goodness could take on sin and even “become sin itself” for our sake. That radically flipped our conceptions of defeat and victory. The cross was now seen as the ultimate victory and, instead of the humiliation of the cross being a source of shame, it now became the crown jewel: “I preach nothing but the cross of Christ.” To read more click here or copy this link into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/an-honorable-defeat/#.YIHGjalKgq0 www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser

5th Sunday of Easter

Short Reflection for the 5th Sunday of Easter (B) Readings: Acts 9: 26- 31; 1 John 3: 18-24; John 15: 1-8 Selected Passage: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15: 7) Short Reflection: The challenge to each one of us is to remain steadfast in the faith both in good times as well as in bad times. The gospel tells us we need to connecte to Jesus in order to bear much fruit. The Father is the vine grower and we submit to his way of making us productive. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

The Non-Violence of God

THE NON-VIOLENCE OF GOD There are a number of texts which, on the surface, seem to indicate that God is ordering violence. But they are really archetypal and anthropomorphic in nature and do not justify that interpretation. If we read the bible from beginning to end, a progressive revelation (or at least a progressive realization on our part) of the non-violence of God ends in Jesus, who reveals a God of radical non-violence. Here’s an example: In John’s Gospel, we see the story of the woman who has been caught in adultery. A crowd of pious persons bring her to Jesus and tell him that they have caught her in the very act of committing adultery and that Moses (their primary interpreter of God’s will) has ordered that, for this offense, she needs to be put to death. Jesus says nothing, instead he bends down and begins to write on the ground with his finger. Looking up, he tells them: “Let the person among you without sin cast the first stone!” Then he bends down and writes for a second time with his finger. Unbelievably, they get the message and lay down their stones and go away. Jesus’ gesture of writing on the ground with his finger is significant. Who writes with his finger? Who writes twice? God does. And what God writes with his finger and writes twice are the Ten Commandments, and he had to write them twice because Moses “broke” them the first time. Coming down the mountain, carrying the tablets, Moses caught the people in the very act of committing idolatry. Gripped in a fever of religious and moral fervor, Moses broke the tables of stone on the golden calf and on peoples’ heads. Moses was the first person to break the commandments and he broke them physically, thinking violence needed to be done for God’s cause. Then, having broken them, Moses needed to go up the mountain a second time and have them rewritten by God; but before rewriting them, God gave Moses a stern message: Don’t stone people with the Commandments! Don’t do violence in my name! Too often, in a variety of forms, we are still stoning people with the Commandments, falsely believing that God wants this violence. To read more click here or copy this link into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/the-non-violence-of-god/#.YHSziRRKjDY www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser

2nd Sunday of Easter (B)

Short Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Easter (B): Divine Mercy Sunday Readings: Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5,1-6; John 20,19-31 Selected Passage: “Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20:29) Meditation: Believing is not a question of seeing and touching. It is a question of TRUST! We believe in the testimony of the apostles and disciples – the companions of Jesus. They saw and believe that Jesus is truly RISEN from the dead. This is the faith handed over by the apostles and disciples from one generation to another. It is the same faith handed by our parents from generation to generation. We do believe that the Resurrection of Jesus is the testimony that in the end, we, too, shall be victorious over sin and death. The Divine Mercy Sunday proclaims the RICHNESS and the BOUNDLESS MERCY of God! www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

Living beyond our Crucifixions

LIVING BEYOND OUR CRUCIFIXIONS The Gospels tell us that, on the morning of the resurrection, the women followers of Jesus set out for the tomb of Jesus, carrying spices, intending to anoint and embalm a dead body. What they find is not a dead body, but by an empty tomb and an angel challenging them with these words: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? Go instead into Galilee and you will find him there!” Go instead into Galilee. What a curious expression! What is Galilee? Why go back? In the post-resurrection accounts in the gospels, Galilee is not simply a physical geography. It is, first of all, a place in the heart. Galilee is the dream, the road of discipleship that they had once walked with Jesus, and that place and time when their hearts had most burned with hope and enthusiasm. And now, just when they feel that this all is dead, that their faith is only fantasy, they are told to go back to the place where it all began: “Go back to Galilee. He will meet you there!” And they do go back, to Galilee, to that special place in their hearts, to the dream, to their discipleship. Sure enough, Jesus appears to them there. He doesn’t appear exactly as they remember him, nor as often as they would like him to, but he does appear as more than a ghost or a mere idea. The Christ that appears to them after the resurrection no longer fits their original expectation, but he is physical enough to eat fish in the presence, real enough to be touched as a human being, and powerful enough to change their lives forever. Ultimately that is what the resurrection challenges us to do, to go back to Galilee, to return to the dream, hope, and discipleship that had once inflamed us but that now is crucified. One of the essential messages of Easter is this: Whenever we are discouraged in our faith, whenever our hopes seem to be crucified, we need to go back to Galilee and Jerusalem, that is, to the dream, to the road of discipleship that we had embarked upon before everything went wrong. Christ always meets us on that road, explains the latest crucifixion to us, and sends us back – to Galilee and to our abandoned discipleship. Once there, it all makes sense again. To read more click here or copy this link into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/living-beyond-our-crucifixions/#.YGxvTWhMHDY www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser

The Cross as Revealing the True Cost of Love

THE CROSS AS REVEALING THE TRUE COST OF LOVE Simply put, the cross says: “If you want real love beyond romantic daydreams, if you want to keep any commitment you have ever made in marriage, parenting, friendship, or religious vocation, you can do so only if you are willing to sweat blood and die to yourself at times. There is no other route. Love costs. What you see when you look at the cross of Jesus is what committed love asks of us.” This is not something our culture is keen to hear. Today we have many strengths but sweating blood and dying to self in order to remain faithful within our commitments is not something at which we are very good. We find it very difficult to make choices and then to do the hard things that need to be done in order to stick with those choices. Our problem is not ill-will or ill-intention. We want the right things, but every choice is a renunciation, and we would love to have what we have without excluding some other things. We want to be saints, but we don’t want to miss out on any sensation that sinners experience. We want fidelity in our marriages, but we want to flirt with every attractive person who comes round; we want to be good parents, but we don’t want to make the sacrifice this demands, especially in terms of our careers; we want deep roots, but we don’t want to forego the intoxication that comes with new stimulus; we want stable friendship, but we don’t want duties or obligations that tie us down. In short, we want love, but not at the cost of “obedience unto death.” And yet that is the message of the cross. Love costs, costs everything. To love beyond romantic daydreams means to “sweat blood” and “to be obedient unto death”. The cross invites us to look at the choices we made in love, see how they narrow our options, and, in that pain, say: “Not my will, but yours, be done.” To read more click here or copy this link into your browser HTTP://RONROLHEISER.COM/THE-CROSS-AS-REVEALING-THE-TRUE-COST-OF-LOVE/#.YFO8O2RKJDY www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser

Against Lying

Against Lying… The Church should be a living witness to the truth. By Rita Ferrone | United States We're seeing an epidemic of lying in America. In fact, it's gotten so bad that I wish we would hear more preaching on the Eighth Commandment. You know, the one that tells us not to bear false witness against our neighbor. The most alarming symptom of this epidemic is the spread of the "Big Lie" that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election—a lie he and his political allies continue to propagate. But more fundamentally his whole presidency legitimated and instrumentalized habitual lying as a political tool. The more often lies are circulated, the more distrust grows. In the absence of truth, the door is thrown open to conspiracy theories and fantasy. The problem is not just Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell pushing baseless claims on television, or MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell making deranged videos that purport to prove voter fraud. It's also the sinking feeling that we have drifted into a disorienting "post-truth environment" where the difference between fact and fiction no longer matters. I admit that politics has always been rampant with temptations to spin the facts. But nowadays it has become easy to reach beyond garden-variety exaggeration or prevarication and go for outright lies. It's the Trump ethos. The more brazen the untruth, the better. When politicians model themselves on Trump, they become impervious to facts. For example, the Washington Post recently reported on a whole string of blatant falsehoods that Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) employed during his campaign for Congress. He claimed that he was going to attend the Naval Academy when, in fact, his application had been rejected. He said that he was accepted by Harvard and Princeton; this too was untrue. Did his friend really leave him for dead at the scene of his terrible accident? The friend and the medics who aided him deny it. Beyond flagrant misrepresentations of his own personal history, he also lied about others in order to advance his career. He won votes by using a manipulated video clip of his primary opponent that totally misrepresented her views, then traveled to the southern border of Texas and proclaimed that thousands of American children were being kidnapped by drug cartels and sold as sex slaves, "one of the greatest atrocities I can imagine. "Except that it never happened. Why does moral opprobrium no longer attach to lying? Another newcomer to Congress who strives to emulate Trump, Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), has likewise been called out for telling tall tales. Her oft-repeated account of why she began to carry a firearm is a prime example. A man was "beaten to death" in front of her restaurant, she says, and seeing him victimized so brutally made her feel the need to protect herself. Horrible, right? What really happened, however, was that the man died of a drug overdose in an alley several blocks away. The story earned her three Pinocchios from the Washington Post, and was debunked by the fact-checking website Snopes. She remains unfazed and unrepentant. Why does moral opprobrium no longer attach to lying? Have we forgotten that bearing false witness is wrong? How could it be possible that Donald Trump lied to the public more than thirty thousand times while in office, yet suffered little or no loss of support from Christian churches—including many of our Catholic bishops and parishioners? You could theorize that his supporters are cynical or gullible, but the fact remains that a serial liar was our president for four years and millions of Americans were prepared to vote for him again as though it didn't matter. Such gross mendacity in American public life ought to be cause for alarm. Our bishops and pastors should be losing sleep worrying that their flocks are falling prey to those who would exploit their credulity. And what of the people who have accepted the view that it is fine to defame others if it serves "the cause"? It should bother us that conspiracy theories circulate with such reckless abandon and lives are being jeopardized by disinformation—whether about election fraud, climate change, face masks, or the COVID-19 vaccines. People can die because of lies. Rarely have we seen the consequences of lying so vividly displayed in a single day as we did during the violent January 6 assault on the Capitol. Precisely because those who attended the rally-turned-insurrection believed the "Big Lie" that Trump's "landslide" victory was being viciously stolen, they stormed the seat of American democracy, terrorized elected officials and their staffs, killed a police officer, injured many others, and vandalized public property. The Church needs to do something about this. A line from one of our Eucharistic Prayers speaks to me in this regard: "May your Church stand as a living witness to truth and freedom, to peace and justice." Is the Church really "a living witness to truth" in America? And if not, how can we make it so? Rita Ferrone is the author of several books about liturgy, including Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Paulist Press). She is a contributing writer to Commonweal.This article first appeared in Commonweal Magazine. Read more at: https://international.la-croix.com/news/politics/against-lying/14060?utm_source=NewsLetter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20210401_mailjet

Easter Sunday

Short Reflection for Easter Sunday (B)  Readings: Acts 10: 34. 37-43; Colossians 3: 1-4; John 20:1-9  Selected Passage: "Then the otherdisciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”(John 20: 8-9) Meditation:  Jesus is, truly, Risen.Alleluia! With Jesus' resurrection we now have the guarantee that, in the end,good shall prevail over evil; life over death; and grace over sin.  Yes, if we have died with Jesus, we, too,shall rise with him. Easter Blessings to one and all! www.badaliyya.blogspot.com  DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the“tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is aprayer of the heart… following three simple steps:  1. Write in one’s heart acertain passage of the Holy Writ… 2.Make the same passageever present in one’s lips.  3.Then wait for God’sdisclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…!   It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even moredays to relish the beauty of this method…

Palm Sunday (B)

Short Reflection for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion (Mark) Readings: Isaiah 50: 4-7; Philippians 2: 6-11; Mark 14: 1 - 15: 47 Selected Passage: “Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying: ‘Aha! You would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross’. Likewise, the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, ‘he saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe’.” (Mark 15: 29-32) Reflection: The crucified Christ is the powerful symbol of God’s love - ‘greater love than this no one has… to give one’s own life for his friends’. Jesus calls us his friends and we are ransomed from our sins by his blood. The ‘Suffering Servant of Yahweh’ embraced all sufferings unto death that all creation may have life and life to the full. Thus in our sufferings, sins, trials and difficulties, especially this time of Pandemic, we look at the one exalted in the Cross to receive life and healing. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

Ministry, Vocation and Life

Ministry, Vocation and Life: a Reflection on Resigning Oneself to Resignation Recovering our sense of the real difference between life in Christ, vocation and ecclesial function By Thomas O'Loughlin | United Kingdom

The news from the Monastery of Bose fills many of us with sadness – a little beacon of light seems to be dimmed in the face of the ecumenical community's founder, Enzo Bianchi, who went from being a papally appointed "auditor" at the Synod of Bishops' 2018 assembly on youth, to one whom the pope ordered to leave Bose! But perhaps we should not be surprised. A charismatic leader grows old – the effluxion of time – and a new person must take over leadership. Then the old leader likes to imagine driving the car from the back seat, while the new leader knows that it is now his or her duty to make the decisions. After all, that was the reason for the change in leadership. But the old leader becomes the contrarian and brings about a split in loyalties in the group. It is a familiar human story that's even woven into fairy tales and is played out time and again. It is currently playing out at Bose between Bianchi and his former "Number 2", Luciano Manicardi. And it's also being played out in Scotland between the older charismatic leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party, Alex Salmond, and his one-time "Number 2", Nicola Sturgeon. In both cases the scenario is all too human, but it should remind Christians of a more fundamental truth. The distinction between ministry and vocation We have always said that we recognized that ministry and vocation within a person's life are distinct, even if often overlapping. But, in fact, we have not really believed it! Certainly, until it became common for bishops and parish priests to retire at 75 (some will remember the ructions that caused in the 1960s), the distinction between ministry and vocation was at best notional. We had de facto identified the individual with his/her role in the community. So we saw aged prioresses whose convents were ill-managed until "Mother was called home" because there was no provision for resignation and retirement. In these cases, whether male or female, lay or clerical, the role in the group was made identical with her/his vocation. It is an identification we still see, alas, in the job-description of the Vocations' Director when the task is that of finding suitable candidates for seminary formation for ministry as presbyters. But the need for Enzo Bianchi to move on, just like the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, brings us back to this fundamental fact: each one of us is unique, wholly distinct in our identity, our gifts, our situation, our foibles, and our weaknesses. But each of us – and this applies to all the baptized -- is also called into participation in the life of the Christ in the service of the Father. Indeed, just as we confess that the Logos came among us not as a generic "man", but as a distinct historical individual named Jesus of Nazareth, so each of us is unique in the providence of God. But this uniqueness is always under threat from a variety of sources. From the time we are small children we are put into classes, treated as specimens of a group and expected to fit into pre-existing molds, or become biological machines in some complex production line. People cannot be reduced to a function How sad – how blasphemous -- when someone describes her/his life as "just a small cog"! Sadly, we want a neat world of round and square holes, and we would (secretly) like all others to be good round or square pegs each in the corresponding holes. As the song expressed it: "little boxes … all the same". How does this affect us in our attitudes to ministry? Tasks in the community such as deacon, presbyter and bishop became, in effect, co-extensive with people. So, men were expected to become so identified in their roles/tasks that one could not distinguish community role and vocation. Even more, individuality, specific gifts, and all the jagged wonder of humanity was trimmed off to form the biological inhabitants of roles. Life became co-extensive with role. This created the original "company man" whose individuality and uniqueness was seen as "noise in the system". And when it became manifest, it was often seen as rebellion, awkwardness, self-promotion or the crime of "wanting to do your own thing"! Yet ministry to be real, human and effective operates one-to-one, person to person. And we are ill-served when we do not encounter another individual, but simply someone who is chopped down to a function. Our uniqueness is a tribute to the overflowing goodness and wonder of the creation; to deny it is tantamount to burying our talent and showing we lack trust in God. It is easy to fall into a role, and when many people treat ministers as simply "spiritual functionaries" it is easy to forget that vocation is individual. It is unique to each of us. For some, their vocations include ministerial roles – but this is but a part of a larger real whole, and one's human life is larger than all: a wonder reflecting the wonder of God. Various levels of failure Collapsing life into vocation and vocation into a ministry is a failure on several levels. It turns ministry into a job. It reduces the uniqueness of the person. It depersonalizes the ministerial encounter. It ignores the reality of the Spirit working differently in each person. It is a recipe for workaholism and guilt at perceived failure. It ignores that all Christians are united, not by functional relationships (as one would find in a corporation), but as sisters and brother in baptism. Since the Second Vatican Council's decree Christus Dominus (which led to bishops retiring at age 75) we have been slowly recovering our sense of the real difference between life in Christ, vocation and ecclesial function – but only to a very limited extent. Moreover, the shortage of young clergy has often exacerbated the problem, as tired greying priests seek to function in ever bigger parishes with less and less real interpersonal contact in their dealing with those to whom they minister. When Benedict resigned from being Bishop of Rome, he demonstrated that his own vocation as a human being is distinct from his ecclesial role. This was a far more important demonstration of this forgotten aspect of our theology than if he had written several encyclicals on the presbyterate! His resignation was a new fact in Catholic experience and its implications need to be internalized by all who hold ecclesial office. As we have seen, it is a very hard lesson for many of us to learn! The task of being a deacon, presbyter or bishop is not something that replaces an individual or that wholly exploits one's vocation. Vocation is personal, individually-sized and as distinctive to each of us as our facial features. It will change and evolve as life changes. It will take on new forms with every new day and with every additional grey hair! What God called us to be 20, 30 or even 50 years ago is not as important as what God is calling us to do today... and tomorrow. Thomas O'Loughlin is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton and professor of historical theology at the University of Nottingham (UK). His latest book is Eating Together, Becoming One: Taking Up Pope Francis's Call to Theologians (Liturgical Press, 2019). Read more at: https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/ministry-vocation-and-life-a-reflection-on-resigning-oneself-to-resignation/14011

The Agony in the Garden

THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN – THE SPECIAL PLACE OF LONELINESS The passion of Jesus refers to the helplessness he had to endure during the last hours of his life, a helplessness extremely fruitful for him and for us. The first component in that helplessness begins in the Garden of Gethsemane, immediately after he has celebrated the last supper. The scriptures tell us that he went out into the Garden with his disciples to pray for the strength he needed to face the ordeal that was now imminent. In describing Jesus’ suffering during his passion, the evangelists focus little on his physical sufferings (which must have been horrific). Indeed, Mark puts it all in a single line: “They led him away and crucified him.” What the gospel writers focus is that in all of this, Jesus is alone, misunderstood, lonely, isolated, without support, unanimity-minus-one. What’s emphasized is the agony of his heart that’s ultra-sensitive, gentle, loving, understanding, warm, inviting, hungry to embrace everyone but which instead finds itself misunderstood, alone, isolated, hated, brutalized, facing murder. That’s the point that has been too often missed in both spirituality and popular devotion. In Gethsemane, Jesus’ agony is not that of the son of God is frustrated because many people will not accept his sacrifice, nor even his agony the all-too-understandable fear of the physical pain that awaits him. The agony in the Garden is many things, but first of all, it’s Jesus’ entry into the darkest black hole of human existence, the black hole of bitter misunderstanding, rejection, aloneness, loneliness, humiliation, and the helplessness to do anything about it. The agony in the Garden is the black hole of sensitivity brutalized by callousness, love brutalized by hatred, goodness brutalized by misunderstanding, innocence brutalized by wrong judgement, forgiveness brutalized by murder, and heaven brutalized by hell. This is deepest, black hole of loneliness and it brings the lover inside us to the ground in agony begging for release. But, whenever our mouths pushed into the dust of misunderstanding and loneliness inside that black hole, it’s helpful to know that Jesus was there before us, tasting just our kind of loneliness. To read more click here or copy this link into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/the-agony-in-the-garden-the-special-place-of-loneliness/#.YE-YL11KjDY www.facebook.com

Against an Eternal Horizon

AGAINST AN ETERNAL HORIZON A few years ago, I was watching a discussion on television between a prominent religious commentator and a panel of theologians representing a number of Christian churches. The commentator asked the panel this question: “Should it make any difference in the way you live whether or not you believe in life after death?” Everyone on the panel and the host himself agreed that it shouldn’t. In their view of things, whether or not you believe in life after death shouldn’t make any difference practically in the way you live. Each asserted that they believed in individual immortality, but each also said that this didn’t, and shouldn’t, influence their daily actions in a practical way. What’s wrong with that idea? Simply put, when we stop believing in life after death, we tend to put too much pressure on this life to give us the full symphony. When we stop seeing our lives as being completed by something beyond the present world, it becomes natural to become more frustrated with the limits of our lives and to begin to demand, however subtly or unconsciously, that our spouses, children, friends, careers, jobs, and vacations give us something they can’t give, namely, complete fulfilment, full meaning, final satisfaction, joy beyond frustration, ecstasy, heaven. None of us goes through this life without our share of bitter disappointment, crushed potential, broken dreams, and daily frustration. Our lives are never the way we dreamed them to be. There’s always a huge gap between our dignity, our desire, our potential, and the actual state within which we find ourselves. There are no perfect lives. There is no heaven this side of eternity. Unless we can somehow place our present lives against a horizon of an after-life that completes it, the punishing limits, daily inadequacy, and brute mortality of this world will eventually drive us to depression, bitterness, or violence. Outside of a vision of life after death, we can’t come to full peace with this life, the sophisticated stoicism of so much of contemporary theology and spirituality notwithstanding. To read more click here or copy this address into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/against-an-eternal-horizon/#.YDUcNWpKjt0 www.facebook.com/ronrolheiser

4th Sunday of Lent (B)

Short Reflection for the 4th Week of Lent (B) Readings: 2 Chronicles 36: 14-16. 19-23; Ephesians 2: 4-10; John 3: 14-21 Selected Passage: “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.” (Jn. 3: 19-20) Meditation Lent is a special season to LOOK at the VERDICT on our own life. Our good deeds are our witnesses that we belong to the light. The true sacrifice that the Lord requires of us is good deed extended to our neighbors in need. Evil persons preferred darkness and hate the light. Beware! Cf. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

3rd Sunday of Lent (B)

Short Reflection for the 3rd Sunday of Lent (B) Readings: Exodus 20: 1-3. 7-8. 12-17; 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25; John 2: 13-25 Selected Passage: “Jesus said, Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." (Jn.2: 16) Meditation: Lent is a special season to cleanse our life of the many “merchandise” that has made God’s abode in us a MARKETPLACE. God’s grace is a GIFT; it is NOT for sale. The kingdom of God is not a merchandise. Cf. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

The Power of Powerlessness

THE POWER OF POWERLESSNESS There are different kinds of power and different kinds of authority. There is military power, muscle power, political power, economic power, moral power, charismatic power, and psychological power, among other things. There are different kinds of authority too: We can be bitterly forced into acquiescing to certain demands, or we can be gently persuaded into accepting them. Imagine four persons in a room: a powerful dictator who rules a country, gifted athlete at the peak of his physical prowess, a rock star whose music and charisma can electrify an audience and a newborn, a baby, lying in its crib. Which of these is ultimately the most powerful? The irony is that the baby ultimately wields the greatest power. A little baby can touch hearts in a way that a dictator, an athlete, or a rock star cannot. Its innocent, wordless presence, without physical strength, can transform a room and a heart in a way that guns, muscle, and charisma cannot. Around a baby, as most every parent has learned, we not only watch our language and try not to have bitter arguments; we also try to be better, more loving persons. Metaphorically, a baby has the power to do an exorcism. It can cast out the demons of self-absorption and selfishness in us. This is the way we find and experience God’s power here on earth, sometimes to our great frustration, and this is the way that Jesus was deemed powerful during his lifetime. The entire Gospels make this clear, from beginning to end. Jesus was born as a baby, powerless, and he died hanging helplessly on a cross with bystanders mocking his powerlessness. Yet both his birth and his death manifest the kind of power upon which we can ultimately build our lives. God’s power forever lies within our world and within our lives, asking for our patience. Christ, as Annie Dillard says, is always found in our lives just as he was originally found, a helpless baby in the straw who must be picked up and nurtured into maturity. But we are forever wanting something else, namely, a God who would come and clean up the world and satisfy our thirst for justice by showing some raw muscle power and banging some heads here and now. But that’s not the way intimacy, peace, and God are found. To read more copy this address into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/the-power-of-powerlessness/#.YD5Zy11KjDY

2nd Sunday in Lent (B)

Short Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Lent (B) Readings: Genesis 22: 1-2. 9. 10-11; Romans 8: 31-34; Mark 9: 2-10 Selected Passage: “And Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them." (Mk. 9: 2-3) Meditation: Lent is a special season to have an “experience” of our own TRANSFIGURATION” or “metamorphosis” (the Greek word for Tansfiguration). We have to be transformed from our old ways to new ways in Christ. Often this transformation is characterized by (1) return to the Lord or penance; (2) prayers & fasting; and (3) almsgiving. Cf. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Short Reflection for the 4th Sunday in the Ordinary Time (B) Readings: Deuteronomy 18: 1-20; 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35; Mark 1: 21-28 Selected Passage: “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” (Mk.1: 22) Meditation: The Gospel invites to reflect on the meaning, “to teach as one having authority”. There are two sources of this authority – first, Jesus proclamation of the reign of God was seen both in his words and deeds; second, his great love for each one of us. And he calls us his friends and he would lay down his life as ransom that we may have life to the full. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

Short Reflection for the 3rd Sunday in the Ordinary Time (B) Readings: Jonah 3: 1-.10; 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31; Mark 1: 14-20 Selected Passage: As Jesus passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew and he said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people." (Mk.1:17) Meditation: Jesus continues to call ALL. His invitation is to become his companions and co-workers in building God’s kingdom. The real challenge is: are we willing to abandon everything and heed his call? In building God’s kingdom, no one can remain bystander. The first disciples heard the call; they abandoned everything; and followed Jesus. Today, Jesus invites us to do likewise. Cf. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD... Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps: 1. Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ… 2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…! It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

Beyond Criticism and Anger

 

BEYOND CRITICISM AND ANGER – THE INVITATION TO A DEEPER EMPATHY

Beyond anger, beyond indignation, and beyond justified criticism of all that’s dishonest and unjust, lies an invitation to a deeper empathy. This invitation doesn’t ask us to be stop being prophetic in the face of what’s wrong, but it asks us to be prophetic in a deeper way. A prophet, as Daniel Berrigan so often said, makes a vow of love not of alienation.

But that’s not easy to do. In the face of injustice, dishonesty, and willful blindness, all of our natural instincts militate against empathy. We should feel anger and indignation in the face of what’s wrong. It’s understandable too that we might also feel some hateful, judgmental, thoughts towards those whom we deem responsible. But that’s a beginning but it’s not where we’re meant to stay. We’re called to move towards something deeper, namely, an empathy which previously we did not access.

At the truly bitter moments of our lives, when we’re feeling overwhelmed by feelings of misunderstanding, slight, injustice, and rightful indignation and we’re staring across at those whom we deem responsible, anger and hatred will naturally arise within us. It’s okay to dwell with them for a time, but after a time we need to move on.

The challenge then is to ask ourselves: How do I love now, given all this hatred? What does love call me to now in this bitter situation? Where can I now find a common thread that can keep me in family with those at whom I’m angry? How do I reach through, reach through the space that now leaves me separated by my own justified feelings of anger? And, perhaps most important of all: “From where can I now find the strength to not give into hatred and self-serving indignation?

While not denying what’s wrong, nor denying the need to be prophetic in the face of all that’s wrong, empathy still calls us to a post-anger, a post-indignation, and a post-hatred. Jesus modeled that for us and today it’s singularly the most needed thing in our society, our churches, and our families.

To read more click here or copy this address into your browser http://ronrolheiser.com/beyond-criticism-and-anger-the-invitation-to-a-deeper-empathy/#.X_XxZeBME_8
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Feast of the Holy Child

 Short Reflection for the Feast of Sto. Nino (Feast in the Philippines)

Readings: Isaiah 9: 1-6; Ephesians 1: 3-6; Mark 10: 13-16

Selected Passage: “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belong the kingdom of God.  Truly, I said to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Mark 10: 13-14)       

Reflection: The call of the gospel today is to accept the kingdom of God with child-like spirit. To them, belongs the Kingdom. The characteristics of being child-like are the following: TRUST, NO MALICE, and NO SELF-INTEREST.  We believe in Jesus with child-like TRUST.  And the Feast of Sto. Nino invites us to this child-like attitude in our following of Jesus. Cf. www.badaliyya.blogspot.com

 DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD...

Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps:

1.  Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ…

2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 

3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…!

It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

 

Vatican and al-Azhar Declaration on Human Fraternity

 The Document jointly issued by the Vatican and al-Azhar..

A DOCUMENT ON HUMAN FRATERNITY FOR WORLD PEACE AND LIVINGTOGETHER

We reflected also on the level of poverty, conflict and suffering of so many brothers and sisters in different parts of the world as a consequence of the arms race, social injustice, corruption, inequality, moral decline, terrorism, discrimination, extremism and many other causes.

From our fraternal and open discussions, and from the meeting that expressed profound hope in a bright future for all human beings, the idea of this Document on Human Fraternity was conceived. In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;

In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;

In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and of means;

In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, without distinction;

In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace, and the possibility of living together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war; In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal;

In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women;

In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings creating them free and distinguishing them by this gift; In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith;

In the name of all persons of good will present in every part of the world; In the name of God and of everything stated thus far; Al-Azhar al-Sharif and the Muslims of the East and West, together with the Catholic Church and the Catholics of the East and West, declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard.

This Document, in accordance with previous International Documents that have emphasized the importance of the role of religions in the construction of world peace, upholds the following:

- The firm conviction that authentic teachings of religions invite us to remain rooted in the values of peace; to defend the values of mutual understanding, human fraternity and harmonious coexistence; tore-establish wisdom, justice and love; and to reawaken religious awareness among young people so that future generations may be protected from the realm of materialistic thinking and from dangerous policies of unbridled greed and indifference that are based on the law of force and not on the force of law;

- Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought, expression and action. The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives.

Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept;

- Justice based on mercy is the path to follow in order to achieve a dignified life to which every human being has a right;

- Dialogue, understanding and the widespread promotion of a culture of tolerance, acceptance of others and of living together peacefully would contribute significantly to reducing many economic, social, political and environmental problems that weigh so heavily on a large part of humanity;

- Dialogue among believers means coming together in the vast space of spiritual, human and shared social values and, from here, transmitting the highest moral virtues that religions aim for. It also means avoiding unproductive discussions;

- The protection of places of worship – synagogues, churches and mosques – is a duty guaranteed by religions, human values, laws and international agreements. Every attempt to attack places of worship or threaten them by violent assaults, bombings or destruction, is a deviation from the teachings of religions as well as a clear violation of international law;

- Terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people, be they in the East or the West, the North or the South, and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion, even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride. This is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fuelled by financing, the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements even using the media. All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions;

- The concept of citizenship is based on the equality of rights and duties, under which all enjoy justice. It is therefore crucial to establish in our societies the concept of full citizenship and reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority. Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against;

- Good relations between East and West are indisputably necessary for both. They must not be neglected, so that each can be enriched by the other’s culture through fruitful exchange and dialogue. The West can discover in the East remedies for those spiritual and religious maladies that are caused by a prevailing materialism. And the East can find in the West many elements that can help free it from weakness, division, conflict and scientific, technical and cultural decline. It is important to pay attention to religious, cultural and historical differences that are a vital component in shaping the character, culture and civilization of the East. It is likewise important to reinforce the bond of fundamental human rights in order to help ensure a dignified life for all the men and women of East and West, avoiding the politics of double standards;

- It is an essential requirement to recognize the right of women to education and employment, and to recognize their freedom to exercise their own political rights. Moreover, efforts must be made to free women from historical and social conditioning that runs contrary to the principles of their faith and dignity. It is also necessary to protect women from sexual exploitation and from being treated as merchandise or objects of pleasure or financial gain. Accordingly, an end must be brought to all those inhuman and vulgar practices that denigrate the dignity of women. Efforts must be made to modify those laws that prevent women from fully enjoying their rights;

- The protection of the fundamental rights of children to grow up in a family environment, to receive nutrition, education and support, are duties of the family and society. Such duties must be guaranteed and protected so that they are not overlooked or denied to any child in any part of the world. All those practices that violate the dignity and rights of children must be denounced. It is equally important to be vigilant against the dangers that they are exposed to, particularly in the digital world, and to consider as a crime the trafficking of their innocence and all violations of their youth;

-The protection of the rights of the elderly, the weak, the disabled, and the oppressed is a religious and social obligation that must be guaranteed and defended through strict legislation and the implementation of the relevant international agreements.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

 Short Reflection on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Readings: Isaiah 42: 1-4. 6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Mark 1: 7-11

Selected Passage: “I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mk. 1: 8)

Reflection: In our lives, we always try to discover the meaning being baptized by the Holy Spirit.  In our own Baptism, this reality is better understood in our being anointed by the Spirit as PRIEST, PROPHET and KING. Priest symbolizes the worship of God in our lives; Prophet tells of our commitment to Justice and Truth; and King speaks of our life of service to others, especially those in need.

www.badaliyya.blogspot.com

 DHIKR SIMPLE METHOD...

Dhikr is an Arabic word for remembrance. In the “tariqa” (the way) movement, dhikr developed into a form of prayer… It is a prayer of the heart… following three simple steps:

1.  Write in one’s heart a certain passage of the Holy Writ…

2. Make the same passage ever present in one’s lips. 

3. Then wait for God’s disclosure on the meaning of the passage…that interprets one’s life NOW…!

It takes a week of remembering (dhikr)…or even more days to relish the beauty of this method…

 

New Year's Resolutions Testify to our Faith in God

 

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS TESTIFY TO FAITH

It is a sign of health that we keep making new resolutions, despite a history of failure. In striving to renew ourselves in the face of our own falling we are making an important act of faith.

In making new resolutions we are saying: “I believe in a God who continues to love me, even when I can’t live up to it.” Every time I pick myself off the floor after a fall and begin again with some hope in my heart looking for a new start, I am saying the creed in a way that is considerably more radical, in terms of expressing actual belief in God, than is my too-easy Sunday recital of it. To make a new resolution is to believe in God.

But to make new resolutions is to express faith in the God of the resurrection. To try for new life, for a fresh start, precisely when bad habit has kept me so long in a certain helplessness, is to say: “I believe in the resurrection and the life!”

Martin Luther once put it this way: “Just as God in the beginning of creation made the world out of nothing, so his manner of working continues unchanged.” For anything to really change, including our capacity to live beyond our own wounds and selfishness, God still had to defy the impossible.

That is where faith and the resurrection enter in. As the angel Gabriel tells Mary: “For with God nothing is impossible.” Somewhere, deep inside of us, in that place where we want to make New Year’s resolutions, we still carry that faith. In that place we still say the creed and still believe in the resurrection.

Because of that belief, because of new year’s resolutions, God can still make something out of nothing!

Happy New Year and many blessings in 2021

To read more click here or copy this address into your browser
http://ronrolheiser.com/new-years-resolutions-testify-to-faith/#.X-30_eBME_8
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