Among the Wild Beasts...

 [After Jesus was baptized], the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.  Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’  - Mark 1:12-15                                   

After his Baptism, which marked the beginning of his public life, Jesus was led out by the Holy Spirit into the desert.  At first sight, it may seem like a strange way to begin public life – by taking up residence in solitude among the wild beasts.  Yet here in the desert of interior recollection and struggle Jesus would undergo the necessary journey of entering in to the heart of  his mission.

The core of Jesus’ mission, as described by Pope Benedict XVI, was to “find the ‘lost sheep’, to bear it on his shoulders and to bring it home” (Jesus of Nazareth, 26).  He had to descend into the “perils besetting mankind” and take upon himself the sin and suffering of humanity so as to “lift up fallen humanity” (26).  In the wilderness, Jesus began what the Apostle’s Creed speaks of as the descent “into hell”, a descent which would reach its fulfillment in what unfolded after his own Death (26).

He was in the wilderness for forty days, a number which the Fathers of the Church regarded as “a numerical sign for this world. The four ‘corners’ encompass the whole world and ten is the number of the commandments.  The number of the cosmos multiplied by the number of the commandments becomes a symbolic statement about the history of this world as a whole” (29-30).

In those forty days, Jesus embraced the drama of human history, descending into the abyss in order to redeem fallen humanity.   Imagine what this harrowing descent into the sin and suffering of the ages must have been like!  Every murderous act and thought, every massacre and every famine, every sacrilege, profanity, infidelity and betrayal, all the darkness of human history,  Jesus took unto himself.

Rightly did the prophet Isaiah foretell that  “It was our weaknesses that he carried, our sufferings that he endured....We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way;  but the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all” (53:4-6).

After having faced temptation, and having survived the forty days among the “wild beasts”,  Jesus emerged triumphant, ready to proclaim that “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.”

The forty days of Jesus can teach us that the defeat of sin begins in our own life when we acknowledge in the core of our being the wound it inflicts upon ourselves and others.  Coming face to face with the truth is a critical first step.

When Leonardo Da Vinci was painting his masterpiece, The Last Supper, he would hire models to pose as different characters in the scene. As his model for Christ he found a handsome, young man who sang in one of the churches of Rome.  His name was Pietro Bandinelli.

Years passed, and the painting was still unfinished.  All the disciples had been painted except one – Judas Iscariot.  Da Vinci began his search, once again, this time for a man whose face was hardened by sin. 

Finally he found a man on the street whose face was so villainous that Da Vinci shuddered every time he looked at him.  He hired the man to pose as Judas.  When the painting was complete and Da Vinci was about to dismiss him, he said, "I haven’t yet found out your name."

To the amazement of Da Vinci, the man replied, "I am Pietro Bandinelli.  I also sat for you as your model of Christ."*

The sinful years had disfigured the face of Pietro so much that he was no longer recognizable.  Sin has this effect.  It disfigures the image of goodness, the very image of God.

As the Lord was impelled into the desert, the Holy Spirit impels us too, to make our own “forty days”, to journey through the desert of life without being consumed by the wild beasts of moral recklessness, to contemplate the effects of sin so as to be renewed in our resolve to follow Christ who was victorious over sin and death.

*(Da Vinci/Bandinelli story found in Anthony Castle’s “More Quips, Quotes and Anecdotes”)

Getting more mileage...

 

Some thoughts on Life, Lent, and Mark 2:1-12



This Lent you may wish to adopt a different way of praying with scripture, particularly the Gospels.  An especially  powerful way involves reading a passage from the Gospel while imagining ourselves to be in the story as it unfolds.

Take the passage on the healing of the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) as an example.   Picture in your mind’s eye being among the group of people who were bringing the paralyzed man to the house where Jesus was.  After walking for hours along a rugged and dusty road, the house where Jesus is is finally in sight.  The excitement builds. The weight of carrying our paralyzed friend suddenly becomes a little less taxing.

                    

As we get closer to the house, however, we are overwhelmed with a feeling of discouragement when we see that the door to the house is completely blocked by other people.  How will we get in?  How will our paralyzed friend get into the presence of Jesus?  Now we are faced with the choice: turn back and return home with the paralyzed friend, or find a way to overcome the obstacle.

Let’s stop for a while at that door.  When we stop, many of us will realize that we’ve been there at that door before.   Standing outside this blocked door can represent all those times we had planned to do something good but then met resistance.

Here is a spiritual insight from the Gospel for us: So often when we resolve to do something good, (when we wish to address an area of “paralysis” in our life), we meet resistance.  Faced with this resistance, we can either leave or think of another solution.  The resistance can be external, coming from the outside, perhaps from other people or the temptation of the devil.  Most often, though, it comes from inside our own heart.

Let me illustrate this further with a personal story.  In the upper corner of most vehicle windshields there’s a little sticker indicates when a vehicle is due for its next oil change.   It usually says something like, “Next service due on  July 1^st or 200,000 kilometers, whichever comes first.”

About a year ago, my car was due for another oil change.   Things happened, though, and time passed, and I thought a few more kilometres shouldn't hurt.  Everything seemed to go fine, but I still planned to bring the car in. More time passed, and I was soon making a road-trip to Southern Ontario, which added to the car a few thousand more kilometres. Now I was way overdue!  At this point, I hesitated to bring the car in because I was afraid of what the people at the shop might think of me!  I drove on until the oil light came on.  I started driving by used-car lots to check out my options!

The good news is that the car finally made it to a garage, and all is now well.  The interior resistance was finally overcome. I make this public confession so that others might learn from my mistake! The moral of the story is that living our lives like I drove my car is not a good idea! Good resolutions will not keep a car running!  Don’t wait for the warning lights of life to kick in before doing what has to be done.  Making it to the doorway of resolution is one thing.  Crossing the threshold is another.  

Some of us, for example, have been meaning for some time to learn more about our faith.  But as we are about to make it happen, notice how the resistance begins!  Some of us may have it on our hearts to return to the sacrament of reconciliation, but then the hesitation arises: “What will the priest think of me?  I’m not all that bad anyway.  Maybe next week...” 

The holy season of Lent challenges us to cross the threshold.  Only by “entering the house” will the paralyzed areas of our life be blessed with new life and healing.

Get more mileage out of your spiritual life this Lent.  Respond to the call of the Gospel. Overcome the resistance, and cross the threshold of resolution into the realm of reality! 

Taking the Plunge: A Holy Saturday Meditation on Baptism...

While walking to church yesterday, a man approached me and said, “Excuse me, sir. My wife and I moved here a couple of years ago, and we have a child that we would like to get baptized.  What would it take to get him baptized here?” 

After asking him a couple of questions, I invited him to phone to set up a time to meet.    Then he asked, “So how much is this going to cost?” 

I said, “Oh, not too much....only your life....only your child’s life!  Call me when you’re ready.” 

I’m not sure if he appreciated the humour, but I think he understood the point. 

Baptism is not a ten minute ceremony, but a lifelong relationship.  Baptism is not a formality, but a joyful response to the gift of faith.

We baptize because we believe.   We believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and God, as “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

The very word “baptize” means to “plunge” or “immerse” (CCC #1214).   So St. Paul’s teaching on Baptism could also go like this:

“Do you not know that all of us who have been immersed into Christ Jesus were plunged into his death?  Therefore we have been buried with him by plunging into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:3-5).

In many ancient churches, the baptismal 'font' was more like a small pit.  Three steps led the one to be baptized down into the shallow pit.  The three steps represented the three days the body of Jesus remained in the tomb.  After being baptized, the new Christian emerged by way of another three steps, united with the Risen Lord who rose on the third day. 

On Baptism, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, a great theologian of the early church, wrote:

“Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift.... It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship” (CCC #1216).

Soon after I was ordained, a friend of mine said to me, “May you never get used to being a priest!”  (Thankfully this hasn’t happened yet!)   My Easter prayer for you is similar:  May you never get used to being a Christian! May you live as one who has been plunged into the life and “love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:39) and walk always “in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

Bishop Colli's 2011 Lenten Message

LENT 2011

“You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him.”

Pope Benedict XVI uses this phrase from St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians to give us a theme for reflection during this season of Lent. Our baptism is the door which allows us entry into the Church and gives us access to the wonders of God through the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. In Baptism we become members of Christ's body, and members of the Church and along with the benefits of this membership we also assume the responsibilities of helping to build the kingdom of God here on earth and to build up the Church of Christ through our witness to the Gospel. Through Baptism we are created anew and share in the life of God. Through this life we also become sharers in the death and resurrection of the Lord, which is expressed in a special way in our Lenten journey together.

As believers, we enter this holy season of prayer and penance and we reflect in particular on our relationship with God and with one another. The upheaval in our world, the turmoil in countries of the Middle East and even the unrest in our own nation, prompts us to turn to the Lord in our prayer, especially for a change in the hearts of world leaders, and for peace and justice to be restored in the world.

In our prayer we seek a closer union with Christ, and we beseech Him to hear us. Pope Benedict XVI notes: "In order to undertake more seriously our journey towards Easter and prepare ourselves to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord - the most joyous and solemn feast of the entire liturgical year - what could be more appropriate than allowing ourselves to be guided by the Word of God? For this reason, the Church, in the Gospel texts of the Sundays of Lent, leads us to a particularly intense encounter with the Lord, calling us to retrace the steps of our Christian initiation, in light of the new and decisive steps to be taken as we follow Christ in a fuller giving of ourselves to him."

The Word of God nourishes us at each Mass and in our daily prayer and readings. It is a means by which we come to know Christ more intimately and to know of his interaction with others and his example of mercy and forgiveness so generously given. We all seek that mercy and forgiveness during the season of Lent. In our prayer, in our fasting and in our almsgiving or outreach to the poor, may we recognize that through our Baptism we carry Christ to the world. Our actions speak of Christ to others. Our witness helps the message of the Gospel, the message of hope to encourage others.

May this season of grace be a time for inner reflection, a deeper appreciation of the gifts and goodness we share, a time for rebuilding broken relationships through mercy and forgiveness and may "this Lent renew our acceptance of the grace that God has bestowed upon us from our Baptism so that it may illuminate and guide all our actions" (Pope Benedict XVI).

Sincerely in Christ,

+ Fred Colli

Bishop of Thunder Bay

These 40 Days...

"The distinctive English word 'Lent' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for 'spring', which appropriately coincides with the great forty-day fast, common to both East and West at least since the fourth century....The English word has the advantage over the Latin words based on 'quadraginta' or 'forty' because it calls to mind the new life, growth, hope and change that should characterize this time of prayer, penance and conversion, this season of initiation in the grace life of the Church.

In these forty days, Mother Church vests herself simply in violet.  Her sacred halls are bare, and much of her gracious music is muted.  Flowers at her altars and shrines are set aside, and, at the end of the season, the lamps will be extinguished, the bells will fall silent and her altars will be stripped.  But this is her true springtime, when her children grow in grace, in ways often imperceptible, sublte and varied.  Lent thus reminds us that the great graces are given by God, not when our senses perceive them or when our hearts are full of consolations, but in the silence and the stillness of 'the night.'"       (from "Cerermonies of the Liturgical Year", by Msgr. Peter Elliott, sec.  88-89)

Some thoughts on the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time...

One day, a priest, who was known for his long sermons, noticed a man get up in the middle of his homily and leave the church.  Just before the end of the homily, the man returned.  After Mass, the priest asked the man why he had left. 

“I went to get a haircut,” said the man. 

“Well why didn’t you do that before I started Mass?” the priest asked. 

“Because,” the man said, “I didn’t need one then!”

Sometimes we can go overboard in life, even with good things!

This past week I went to bless a parishioner’s home.  As per usual I brought along the holy water, the chalk and the incense.  After the blessing, I noticed that the charcoal was still nice and hot.  So just for good measure, I added some more incense. 

As I walked through the door to leave, sure enough, the smoke alarm went off!  And, as my luck would have it, the alarm was linked to the security system which then sent the alert to the fire station.  So if you happen to live on McTavish Street, and noticed a fire truck there this week, now you know why: Father was just blessing homes!

Even when it comes to our faith, moderation is always a virtue.  As someone once said, “God want spiritual fruits, not religious nuts.” 

Then there is always the other extreme of just squeaking by when it comes to our faith life.  In his book, Rediscovering Catholicism, Matthew Kelly describes this as a philosophy of minimalism.  The minimalist will always ask, “What is the least I can do...?”  Kelly calls minimalism the “enemy of excellence and father of mediocrity.” 

In today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:17-37), Jesus confronts this spirit of minimalism in a provocative manner.

“You have heard it said... ‘You shall not murder’...But I say to you that the one who is angry with their brother or sister will be liable to judgement.”

According to the law (the bare minimum that is required),  “‘You shall not commit adultery’....But I say...that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

“ ‘You shall not swear falsely’....But I say to you: Do not swear at all.”

Notice what Our Lord is doing here:  He is issuing a challenge. Those who followed the law were good people.  The Pharisees and scribes were called righteous because they followed the law. 

However, Jesus says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, following the moral law is the bare minimum. Follow the law and you will be good. However, being a Christian is not about being good, but about always striving to be better!  It is about committing ourselves to growing in holiness and virtue through the grace of God.

What does this mean for us as individuals?  It means that basic pillars of Catholic life, like the Ten Commandments, and the Precepts of the Church are only starting points for us. They help form the foundation on which our spiritual life is built.  We are called to go beyond the minimums of Christian life.

What does this mean for our parish?  It means that we are a people with a mission. Even our church building, with all the heroic sacrifice and devotion that went into building it, exists for this reason, so that we might carry out our mission “to evangelize... to preach and teach, to be the channel of the gift of grace, to reconcile sinners with God, and to perpetuate Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass” (On Evangelization in the Modern World, 14).  Our minimum responsibility is to maintain this building structurally.  Yet, once again, we are called to do so much more.

A chicken and a pig were discussing the problem of world hunger, trying to figure out a practical solution.  Finally, the chicken came up with an idea. 

“Pig,” he said, “I have figured out a way to help solve the problem of hunger in the world.  You and I will make sure that everyone has bacon and eggs to eat.  How’s that for a contribution?” 

The pig said to the chicken, “For you, that’s a contribution; for me, it means giving my all!” 

         

          Being Christian is about striving higher with the help of God’s grace, embracing the call to heroic virtue, and seeking the Lord with all our hearts (Psalm 119).