Relationship

What to do???

One day about a year or two ago, my attention was captured by a ceramic piece. The thing that struck me about the image portrayed was the soldier who was nailing Jesus to the Cross. This man looked as if he was nailing two pieces of wood together; intent on doing the job. Although I had seen this ceramic piece many times before, I had never given any thought to the soldier in this scene.

On this particular day though, I couldn’t help but wonder about who this man was and how he could do such a thing. I thought, “How horrible! How could anyone do that to another human being?” Then the more I sat there and looked at this piece, a number of questions came to mind. Was this job of the man’s choosing or was he forced into it? What was his life experience and what led him to this particular moment? I imagined his heart had to be hardened in order to do the job he was doing. Was he devoid of all feeling of concern for others, though? Did he have a family? Was he loved? And did he love others?

As I sat there, after some time, I found myself thinking about some of the stories in the news and of current day perpetrators of violence. What happened to them along the way? Were they not also created in God’s image? What had they experienced that led them to embrace such ways?

This week, I find myself asking similar questions. I wonder how any person(s) could justify treating another person in such a way; beheading them or burning them alive. I wonder what happened to these people, and those leading them, that they have arrived at a place where their hearts allow them to perpetrate such acts?

I wonder…Are they so caught up in “the cause” that they have been blinded to the atrocity of their actions? Are they willingly committing these acts? Have they been coerced or misled? Or forced through fear for their own lives and those of their loved ones to join “the cause”? How did they get to this point? What has their experience been? In what kind of environment did they grown up and live?

When we look at the world today, there’s so much violence and wrongdoing that occurs. It’s upsetting and it can be all too easy to write off the perpetrators, dismissing them as lowly scum; hateful and vile. However, when we do this, we are playing into evil’s hand.

I know some might say, “Who cares!?!” thinking that the perpetrators deserve no consideration. However, I find that in asking these questions, I’m able to hold on to the truth of the matter. The perpetrators are human beings too. We all come into the world the same way; a clean slate…created in God’s image…capable of all that is good. Something or someone must have changed that for them, at one time or repeatedly. It is with these questions and this realization that I am able to feel compassion more than anger and disgust.

And, it is only then, that my heart is moved to pray for the perpetrators. For, while I may not be able to change the actions of others, nothing is impossible for God.

Please join me in praying…

For the victims of violence and terrorism, and for those who have embraced hatred and violence, that God may soften their hearts and change their ways, we pray to the Lord…

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Come, Follow Me…

Recently in a religious education class, we were discussing the call of the first disciples from the Gospel according to Mark. As part of the lesson, we did an activity with the children using a net – “fishing.” The net had just landed on one of the boys so it was his turn to say why he wanted to follow Jesus.

After a brief pause, Jack took the net into his hands and responded, “To be accepted and to be loved.” He smiled and then said, “I want to be a follower of Jesus because I want to be accepted and loved, and I want to be a better person.” The expression on his face and the tone of his voice as he said these words was so moving.

Although days have passed since leading this religious education activity, I find myself coming back to Jack’s words. “I want to be a follower of Jesus because I want to be accepted and to be loved and to be a better person.” I still find the purity in his response so striking…so precious.

However, I am mindful that as time goes on and Jack advances in age, it is likely that he will experience rejection, and possibly hatred, and there will probably be days when he is not the best person he can be. I can’t help but wonder, will he remember Jesus in these moments? I pray and hope that he will.

As I sit with this, I think about what a noble pursuit it is to be (or to try to be) a follower of Jesus, especially in the times we live in, and with all that is happening in the world. A pursuit that has, for sure, become increasingly challenging since I was a child. It’s like swimming against the tide, day after day. The distractions are many and, on my own, it’s entirely impossible.

But then I think, “It’s a good thing I am not on my own.” That’s the best part of being a follower of Jesus. With Jesus, I am never on my own. And, as Jack so aptly put it, I am accepted and loved, and a better person for it.

When Jesus said, “Come…,” to the disciples, they did exactly that. They took a leap of faith and ventured into a new way of being. This isn’t to say that they didn’t make mistakes along the way or possibly have misgivings at times. I imagine that they did, and even more so, than is probably spoken of in the Bible. However, they saw Jesus as being sent by God and they were able to trust Jesus enough to step away from the familiar and walk, by faith, into the unknown.

Jesus called the disciples as they were. They were on two different boats, Simon and Andrew casting their nets, and James and John mending their nets. He didn’t say, “Go, clean up, and then come follow me.” He loved and accepted them as they were and was calling them to enter into His fold as they were.

Now, undoubtedly their lives were changed by following Jesus, they themselves were changed, and in the process they each became a better person. I believe that it was Jesus love and acceptance of the disciples, and countless others, without reservation, that enabled them to open their hearts to Him. And, with time, to learn, and to embrace, His ways.

How different the world might be if we were able to extend the same hospitality of love, acceptance, and patience to each person and situation we encounter along the way. A difficult task at best, given the human condition, but not impossible…”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The Call of the First Disciples.

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.

Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets.

Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

Everything will be okay…

What is it that ignites your soul and sets your heart on fire? Chances are that the answer to this question has something to do with the plans God has in mind for you. Oftentimes when we are feeling bogged down or unfulfilled, it can be because our plans and desires are not aligned with the desires and plans that God has in mind for us.

I remember, a number of years ago, repeatedly thinking and feeling as if there had to be more to life than the daily routine that filled each passing day. I had a good job and wonderful family and friends, but something was missing. This persistent thought, the feelings that went with it and the growing desire to seek what was missing has led me down an unexpected path and brought me into a relationship with God that I never even knew was possible. I have fallen in love with God and it really has made all the difference in the world. Through prayer, contemplation, and the grace of God, I now have an excitement and enthusiasm, and feel more alive and full of life than I could have ever imagined.

This most amazing relationship has helped me to recognize and appreciate more fully all the blessings in my life through both good times and difficult times. It has also led me to recognize and embrace a call to ministry, inspiring me to help and to encourage others to deepen and grow in their relationship with God.

When I reflect on how this journey began, it all started when I began to contemplate how my father, who had passed away a few years earlier and who was the rock in my life, was able to tell me during times of struggle that everything would be okay. Somehow, even though he couldn’t tell me how it would be okay, he had such a confidence when he spoke those words that I could believe and trust that it would be okay.

How did he know? Every so often I would spend time with this question. Scratching my head and wondering how he knew that? How could he say those words so confidently without knowing the answer or the solution to the situation? Who told him that? Then, one day the answer to this question became clear as I remembered something that had happened toward the end of my father’s life.

I went to walk into my father’s room where he was resting, worn down from radiation and chemotherapy. As I walked in, I stopped in my tracks because I realized that he was praying. I didn’t want to interrupt so I turned around and walked out, returning later for a visit.

As I recalled this instance, I suddenly knew the answer to how he knew everything would be okay. It was his faith! His faith that told him it would be okay. I immediately thought, “I want that too!” And that’s it. That was the moment that I began a journey. A spiritual journey that has taken time and effort and that has had ups and downs, but that has been worth every minute as it has led me closer to God and helped me to see and to experience that with God at the center of my life, I too can say and know for myself, with full confidence, that everything will be okay no matter what happens.

So, how does one keep God at the center of one’s life? How does one grow in faith? It’s all about relationship. If we look at our earthly relationships we can see that the key to the most meaningful ones is open and honest communication, both in listening and speaking. We can also see that these relationships are ones in which we regularly spend time with the other person.

We can have the same type of intimate, personal relationship with God. Through spending time with God, through praying on a regular basis, we develop and deepen our relationship with God, thus growing in faith. Anytime you communicate with God, expressing your thoughts and feelings to God and making space and time to listen to and notice God, whether it is through formal prayers, contemplative prayer, imaginative prayer, prayer expressed through art or music, taking in nature (God’s creation), or through any of the various ways in which people feel a connection with God, as long as your heart and mind is open to God, you are praying. And the more you pray, the more your faith increases and the more you can say with full confidence, and believe, “Everything will be okay.”

So, it is with this faith, that I am starting the “Hope That Floats” blog as I continue to pursue what has ignited my soul, and set my heart on fire—the passion, the call, to companion others on their journey to deepen and grow in their relationship with God.

Fall in Love – Attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ (1907–1991)

Nothing is more practical than finding God,
than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read,
whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.