What kind of Judge is God?

What Kind of Judge is God, reflection on Luke 18: 1-8.

He’s fearless…and if he doesn't even fear God…he is shameless as well. He has no reason at all to even listen to her. It certainly isn’t her wealth or her power that moves him…she has none of either. And it isn’t out of pity or sympathy for her…he is capable of neither. He’s tried ignoring her…and she comes before him over…and over…and over. 

It’s her persistence that wears him down. This big, powerful, important, fearless and shameless judge is so disturbed by this desperate widow’s persistence that he finally…finally…decides in her favor. In his own words, “…lest she finally come and strike me.” Is he really worried that this weak widow woman will literally come down there and thump him? Maybe it’s not a physical thumping that has him concerned. Maybe he’s worried that this persistent and consistent cry for a just verdict from someone so weak and powerless will make him look bad if he fails to act…justly.

Now in our reality, our God is our judge…and he is nothing like the judge in the parable. He waits for us; he listens with love and concern, and while he will never be able to find any of us innocent, he is always eager to find us, through his mercy…saved.

Throughout God’s word, we see it over and over again: widows, orphans, the hungry, the thirsty, the sick and the lame, the imprisoned, and the stranger…the powerless…those who by a fearless and shameless world are judged imperfect or defective…the abandoned and the ignored; to God these are the most precious. Think about it…for a moment…just think about it. Throughout our lives, each of us will fall into at least one of those categories at any given time; and we may not even recognize it as it is happening.

So we have to pray…persistently and consistently…coming before the just judge over…and over…and over…and there is no doubt…he will give a verdict against the world in our favor.  BW

Northwest Florida Guild of the Catholic Medical Association

There are no coincidences in life. Today, we mark the founding of the Northwest Florida Guild of the Catholic Medical Association, and I think that today's Gospel (Luke 13: 1-9) speaks to this significant occasion.

The fig and the fig tree have been mankind's constant companion throughout all of recorded history, and even beyond that. There is solid evidence that it has been cultivated at least as far back as 7,000 years ago; it is mentioned over 50 times in the Bible, spanning both Old and New Testaments; and all of the references are full of meaning…it's not just a tree that bears abundant fruit with precious little care; it stands as a symbol of so much more.

Fig trees and fig crops were indicators of a robust economy, much like low unemployment figures are now. The fig tree was a symbol of Peace, Prosperity, and God's blessing. The Apostle Bartholomew was chosen by Jesus because Jesus saw him "sitting under a fig tree", which was a metaphor for being lost in deep prayer.

In all cultures where the fig appears, physicians have always recognized it as a source of power and strength, and as a source of healing for diseases of every description.

So, what is the point of the parable that Jesus tells us today in our Gospel reading? How does it speak to us…how does he speak to us…today? This tree, this fabled symbol of God's grace, is threatened with destruction…because it is not bearing fruit, despite many seasons of growth. The owner of the orchard even says "So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?" What a devastating conviction!!

Yet it is the gardener who comes to the tree's defense, giving it one more chance to bear fruit with his promise of extra special care…one more year…but only one more year

The profession of Medicine today looks a lot like the fig tree in today's parable…it has had many seasons of growth, and is flourishing physically and technologically, but it is not bearing the spiritual fruit that it is not only capable of bearing, but that is so much a part of what it is really meant to be…what we all want it to be.

Today, the Catholic physicians of St. Paul parish and our area take that first step…together…to begin the process of cultivating and fertilizing the fig tree of our beloved profession. We ask God's help for an abundance of fruit.  BW

Noah, Mary, the Catholic Church and Faith and Works

God told Noah to build an ark. God created ex nihilo (out of nothing); He could have created the ark out of nothing. God saves, utilizing His creation. The thought of building an ark might have, at first, seemed ridiculous to Noah. It is possible that he could have refused. God gave Noah the instructions, but Noah had to obey. Noah’s faith alone would not have built the ark that saved mankind and animals from the flood; it was through faith and works that the ark was built and Noah, his family, and the animals were saved.

Noah prefigures Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Virgin Mary’s Creator; nevertheless, He was not conceived by the Holy Spirit until her fiat. Because of Mary’s fiat, Jesus became incarnate and redeemed us. Because of her fiat, she became the ark, the Mother of the Church, and the Ark of the Covenant. Nevertheless, it was not faith alone: She had to be obedient to God’s law; she had to raise and teach Jesus when He was an infant and toddler.

The Catholic Church is the Jesus Christ that the world sees. This is true because we are His Body. There is no other denomination more hated and despised than the Catholic Church. Muslims hate and despise us; Protestants hate and despise us. This has to be since our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, was hated and despised by Jews and Gentiles alike. We are the True Body of Christ; nevertheless, faith alone is not sufficient. How can we exist without good works?

Knowing the Cross I Must Bear

“And he called unto him the multitude with his disciples, and said unto them, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mar 8:34 RV). My natural inclination is to put off hardships, to avoid them. Hence, if I am not careful, it could very well be that I am walking contrary to Christ. I must, therefore, know whether the hardship confronting me is the cross that I must take up. This cannot be something that is in me, for I have known to be wrong many; henceforth, it must come from outside of me—the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Once again, I must always remember that truth lies with the Catholic Church since it is the Body of Christ. Any hardship which I incur because I am walking with the teachings of the Church is a cross that I must pick up and carry. If I believe a teaching of the Catholic Church is erroneous, I have made myself the judge of the Church, made myself superior to the Church—and to Christ by virtue of the fact that He is the Head of the Church. If I am not careful and follow my own personal opinions which would be contrary to the Church, I would be trying to form Jesus Christ into an image that I have created, not liking the true Jesus Christ. I must place my trust in the Catholic Church, the Body of Jesus Christ, the likeness of Jesus Christ. How do I know the teaching of the Catholic Church? By reading the Catechism. It is only then that I know which cross I must bear.

The Ninety Nine and the One

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he finds it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine righteous persons, which need no repentance” (Lk 15:4-7, RV).

I am sure most of us have heard this parable. For many years, I believed the owner had a hundred sheep (Christians); one was lost and He went out to find it. What was troubling: He left the ninety nine. I thought, “Well, they did not go astray, so He left them. The more I heard about sheep, the more I came to understand that sheep are stupid and must have a shepherd.

Now, when I read this parable, two words stand out: “wilderness” and “repentance.” The “wilderness” associates this with the Church because it is the Church that goes through the “wilderness.” “Repentance” means that there are those in the Church who do not believe they are in need of repentance and some who knows they are in need of repentance. Another thing I notice is: “Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him for to hear him, and both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, ‘This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them’” (Luk 15:1-2 RV). Jesus is speaking against the Pharisees and scribes because they were murmuring. We will readily admit that we sin and are in need of repentance. The ninety nine need no repentance; or, should I say, they did not think they had need of repentance. Because they felt they had no need to repent, the shepherd left to find the one that did need repentance.

The question I ask myself: Am I one of the ninety nine, or am I the one who needs repentance? Daily, I try to not sin; I attempt to keep the commandments at the forefront of my mind. I also realize that a righteous man sins seven times daily—the “seven times” meaning numerous times. This is extremely disturbing for, at the end of the day, when trying to confess my sins, I either can think of a few or none at all. This very well could be that I no longer am sensitive to some sins, having become calloused, or that I am so full of pride that I have become hard hearted with regard to some sins. At least, at a very minimum, I am able to confess that pride exists in me and that I am calloused to some sins, praying that the Holy Ghost gives me the grace to repent and to bring to remembrance my sins. Just as the twelve fell into periods of unbelief and sometimes had hardness of hearts. This applies to me also. At the time, more than likely I do not even realize I have fallen into unbelief or hardness of heart; but I do realize that it occurs because it happened to the disciples. Therefore, I need to remember to confess that daily, also at the Sacrament of Penance, and also ask our Blessed Mother and my patron saint to intercede for me and everyone else.  --TT

Is Jesus a Bad Farmer?

Most of us have heard the parable of the sower and the seed. Jesus said He was the sower. Does that make Him a haphazard, sloppy, farmer? Why would He be so careless as to throw seed where it has little chance of producing?

As a Protestant, I thought I was the good soil; that group over there was the wayside; that one, the rocky soil; and that one, the thorns and thistles. Now, as a Catholic, I see Christ making me the good soil by virtue of the Sacrament of Baptism; yet, due to my multitude of sins, I become the wayside sometimes, the rocky soil sometimes, and sometimes, the thorns and thistles.

In the Sacrament of Baptism, our sins are washed away; we become good soil. A farmer can plow a field, removing all the stones. The next year, when he re-plows that field, there are more stones. How do they get there? Every year, that farmer must remove stones from the same field. The same thing occurs in us. When we sin, stones show up in the soil. When we have difficulty with habitual sin, the soil becomes trodden, hardened. This is the wayside. Of course, the thorns and thistles are the cares of the world.

Our Lord tells us that the seed is the Word. When I hear Christ’s Word and have no understanding, it is because I have a hard heart. The Gospels often refer to the disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart. I am no different. The prophet, Jeremiah, tells me, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is desperately sick: who can know it?” Nevertheless, I erroneously often believe I have a good heart.

Why does Christ sow His Word on the wayside? It is to bring me to repentance. When I do not understand God’s Word, it is not God’s fault; it is mine—because of my sins, my hardness of heart. Very often, I do not like what God’s Word says or the doctrines and teachings of the Church; therefore, I try to twist them to conform to my likes and beliefs. When this occurs, I do not like the true Jesus and am trying to conform Him to a Jesus I like. I am trying to become the potter and trying to make Him the clay. I must allow His Word and the doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Church to bring me to repentance, to the Sacrament of Penance, in order that the stones, thorns, and thistles may be removed, and the hard wayside either re-plowed or hoed, softened up. I must always be comparing my thoughts and desires with Scripture and the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church. Where else can I find Truth? Where else can I turn? Jesus is Truth; hence, the Catholic Church must be Truth since it is the Body of which He is the Head. --TT

If You Don't Forgive Them, Blot My Name Our of Your Book?

It is my desire to be like Christ, to see Him, to not sin. Nevertheless, the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Is it in me to love my neighbor as much as Moses? Moses had led Israel out of Egypt, to Mt. Sinai. He goes up the mountain to speak with God. While He is on the mountain, the Israelites get Aaron to mold a calf for them. God is angry, tells Moses to leave Him, that His wrath may run hot against them, that He may consume them. Moses go down, and then returns to God, confessing that Israel had committed a great sin, and then says, “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin––and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Exo 32:32 RV). Now, Moses begs this of God even after Israel had murmured against him. St. Paul confesses a similar thing: “For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren’s sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom 9:3 RV). It causes me to think of my family. Yes, I can pray that for them. God has given them to me that I might be their head. I am responsible for them, to lead and teach them.

I sit in our parish, watching people enter, kneel, and pray prior to Mass. My heart goes out to each and everyone. We are members of the same Body. “Oh, Lord, if You don’t take them, You can’t take me; we are of the same Body.” When our priests are celebrating the Mass, the bread he is offering is us also. Christ is the large host; we are the small hosts. Our priests are our shepherds; they desire that not one of us be lost. Can you not hear them pray in a similar fashion like Moses and St. Paul? Our Blessed Mother, who stands beneath our small crosses and intercedes for us, it would not surprise me if she prayed, before she was assumed into heaven, “If You don’t forgive the least of these my children, don’t take me.” Our Lord Himself, is that not the reason of His Incarnation, Passion, and death on the cross? And did He not rise for our justification? Only we must not be as the five foolish virgins. Let us watch, not only for ourselves but our brothers and sisters also.  --TT