Faith Pilgrims

Sacred Journeys to a Deeper Faith

Thomas Caffrey

We Must Accompany Our Youth; But To Where?

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In the first year of his pontificate Pope Francis released his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“Joy of the Gospel”), urging bishops, priests and all the faithful to renew the New Evangelization and bring the Gospel to those at the margins of society. One way of achieving that, Francis reminds us, is to meet those individuals were they are and then accompany them in the same manner as Jesus accompanied the two disciples on the road to the town of Emmaus.

Accompany them…

All too often people express this theme of “accompaniment” in such a way that would lead one to believe that Jesus travels with us as we continue our sinful ways, loving us and showing mercy–without condemning the sin or showing us a better way. After all, they say, Jesus regularly dined with the sinners. And they would be correct, because every human sins. But they need to go just a bit further in their description of the Nazarene, to tell, as legendary radio raconteur Paul Harvey so often said, “the rest of the story.” Jesus did not sin with them, or accompany them further into their sin! You cannot read the entire passage by Luke and come away with that understanding. Jesus is the good physician who came to heal the sick–sometimes with tough medicine. He’s the good parent who loves his children enough to say “No.” And as the good teacher, he explains why and how we should live as he does.

By Duccio di Buoninsegna

Earlier on that unforgettable day several of the Apostles found the tomb of Jesus empty, and one of them, Mary Magdalene (“Apostle to the Apostles”) was the first to see Jesus after His resurrection (because He revealed Himself to her first). Some day, indeed! And that is why the two travelers were downcast as they walked, and then incredulous upon hearing the stranger ask them what they were discussing.

Just imagine you and a friend were walking along Kunia Road outside Pearl Harbor on December 9, 1941 or along Liberty Street in lower Manhattan on September 13, 2001, and some stranger came up to you and asked that question. I’ve never visited Hawaii and don’t know any Hawaiians, but their “hang loose” reputation makes me think they would temper their expression of astonishment. On the other hand I’ve made many business trips from my native New Jersey to Manhattan, and therefore have no doubt that the “temper” of the reply would be hot–and colorful!

A careful reading of Luke’s beautiful description of this journey makes it clear that Jesus had no intentions of accompanying those men in their ignorance. That is immediately evident as his correction begins as a chastisement, largely for their lack of faith and understanding. He therefore doesn’t appear to render tenderhearted mercy as he illuminates their thinking.

Firstly, he needed them to understand how wrong was their hope for a political, military or royal messiah to be Israel’s redeemer from Roman authority. Instead, the messiah they needed would also be needed by the world–to redeem them from sin and death.

Secondly, they, as observant Jews, needed to know how Jesus’ suffering and death would lead to his glory and resurrection, as prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures–their Scriptures. After accepting their invitation to dine with them and arriving at their place, Jesus assumed a leadership position by taking, blessing, breaking and giving the bread to his new friends–those who would soon become his fervent disciples.

Was Jesus frustrated at them for not believing Sacred Scripture? Probably. But that’s no big deal, because he proceeded to teach them and give to them. He was–and is–the King who came to humbly serve.

Eventually, those men saw and believed–with his help.  Perhaps they were a warmup for Jesus as his imminent and fateful meeting with Thomas would show. “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe.”  We are those men–and women, since Mary Magdalene did not believe until Jesus called her name.

Ask, and it shall be given; seek; and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened. Dear Lord, please help us in our belief. We ask, seek and knock, so help us to hear you call our name.

Christ the King…Christ the Servant…Christ the Savior: FOREVER!

Amen.

Tom

 

 

A Man Without Virtue Cannot Be Heroic

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What does it men to “be a man”? Does the definition rely solely on testosterone, and reaching 18 years of age? My friend, Dan Duddy, has said many times, “I know 60 year-old boys, and 16 year-old men,” implying that  those adult males lack maturity and have not meet their responsibilities, while the teenagers do more than meet their age-related responsibilities–and thereby demonstrating how much closer they are to manhood. This scenario reverses the normal process; but in an age when gender can be dissociated from biological sex and radical feminism topples the traditional male/female roles, both boys and men can become confused about manhood or “manliness.”

It wasn’t until my teenage years that I believed assertions such as one made by the Reverend Billy Sunday, who said, ‘you can’t measure manhood with a tapeline around his biceps.’ But I eventually learned that those biceps, along with the rest of me, could be used virtuously or scandalously, partly based upon my will and my training. A girl becomes a woman simply by their passage into adulthood. Not so for boys. That’s not to say that that passage into womanhood is easy for a girl, because history shows how difficult life has been, generally, for females around the world. The main difference for boys has historically been the public tests they must pass as, for examples, provider and protector, in order to earn the public and private honor that most greatly desire.

Look at the stark contrast between the two images above. In our culture, “Manly” is often associated with strength and power, two features suggested by the man’s muscular arm. Sometimes we’ll hear the word “muscular” used to make something appear strong and forceful, such as “The ambassador gave a muscular defense of his nation’s foreign policy.” But that muscular arm is static rather than active, and the owner is evidently self-interested. Now look at the arms of the Good Samaritan represented in the first image; they’re not so big. However look at the powerfully good effect of those much smaller muscles on the injured traveler. That’s heroic manhood.

Over the centuries most heroic men have been unsung heroes, because the generosity and selflessness they demonstrated could only be known by a relatively small circle of people and then only celebrated at their funeral. In my lifetime, this group could include three men in particular, each of who sacrificed much while providing, coincidentally, for families of eight children:

  • Joseph Caffrey (my father, Rest In Peace), who sacrificed while working many years in a highly stressful environment because of a difficult boss. I recall many a Sunday afternoon bringing him the long, narrow glass Alka-Seltzer tube, and finding out much later in life that he did so in dread of Mondays. He couldn’t quit because the risk was too great to his family of eight children and wife. He was our Provider. The stress probably perpetuated his cigarette smoking habit, a combination that surely contributed greatly to his early demise.
  • Gerard Tivenan (Rest In Peace), the father of my childhood friend, Chris, and seven other children, who while trained as an historian instead took a job as an inner-city truant officer because the salary was higher than a school teacher (not by much and not for long). He, too, passed far too soon.
  • Dan Duddy (little rest or peace!), mentioned above, who along with his wife Maura has behaved as if he was a man in the model of the two men described above. The big difference is that those two were right in the middle of the Baby-Boom generation, while Dan and his wife are themselves Baby-Boomers and parents of eight children, while living in a Baby-Bust era of small families. A powerful witness in this day and age.Fortunately for many, not least his family and me (my friend and radio show co-host), he is alive and well!

The aforementioned were/are devout Catholics, and demonstrated their Christian  charity (aka, “Love”) by sacrificing their wants and desires for the benefit of their families. And as faithful Catholics, they had no shortage of men who modeled heroic manhood and who inspired them to achieve the same: the Community of Saints and, especially, the martyrs. Let’s look at a few of them:  

 

St Peter

“Cephas” or “Rock,” upon whom the Church would be built (MT 16:18) perhaps because he was the first to publicly affirm Christ’s divinity, saying in response to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (MT 16:16)  The first “Pope,” the first Papa shepherd of the infant church.

St Leo the Great describes the courage and faithfulness of Peter, in the context of the swirling cauldron of depraved Rome he was about to enter:

the “tenets of philosophy that must be crushed…the follies of earthly wisdom that must be dispelled…the cult of demons that must be refuted…and the blasphemy of all idolatries that must be rooted out. To this city…you did not fear to come. You entered this forest of roaring beasts, this deep, stormy ocean with greater boldness than when you walked upon the sea.”

By what technique, method or industry would one man overcome these obstacles?

Leo concludes that the overpowering force used by Peter, and every Christian witness since, is LOVE:

“So then it was the force of love that conquered the reasons for fear; and you did not think those to be feared whom you had undertaken to love.”

When we men come face-to-face with a problem, challenge or threat, the last thing that comes to our minds is love. Normally, we’re ready to fight; but if our claim of believing in Jesus is true, then we have to resolve how a fight is Christ-like (“Christian”).

Tradition, built in part on the historian Eusebius’ 4th century writings and those of St Jerome, holds that Peter was crucified upside down. This brings to mind a couple key elements:

  • Since he was not a Roman citizen, he could not escape a tortuously drawn-out death; and he would have, in all likelihood, known that, a reality that makes him b-r-a-v-e.
  • He also demonstrated massive humility, by requesting that his crucifixion be upside-down, since he did not believe he was worthy of crucifixion in the same manner as that Son of the living God.

St Paul

In Acts 15:26, Luke refers to the brave early Christians as those who “have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ;” and one of the greatest of those great believers, was Paul. This Pharisaic Jew was a notorious tormentor and persecutor of Jesus’ followers, and strove mightily to stamp out the early flames of this nascent movement. So this zealotry makes his conversion or, better yet, transformation, all the more remarkable. The change resulted from his experience  with the Light of the World, and the blinding “illumination” he received from the revelation of Christ. “Hold on,” some may say, “Paul was not one of the “Big 12;” he was not an “Apostle.” Steady…

All Jesus’ followers were disciples (a student of another), and some of them were called to also be apostles (a messenger of another). Paul was converted by God’s intervention, and immediately became a believer in Jesus the Christ and a messenger sent by Him. He was therefore an apostle.

“Meek” is not a word one could use to describe Paul, as he was certainly a lion in his witness to and defense of faith in Jesus Christ. How could he not be, since Christianity would not be what it is without his heroic efforts to evangelize and begin new churches throughout the empire. He endured many extreme hardships in those efforts, including torture, imprisonment and “numerous brushes with death” (2 Cor 11:23-28). Clement of Rome described Paul’s heroism thusly, “…he left this world and reached the holy place, thus becoming the greatest model of perseverance.” How could he be so virtuous and enduring in the face of these many great difficulties? Because of his transformation to a life focused on Christ and living like him: “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Take note! Christ gave Himself! He was not forced onto that cross, but instead lay down on it. And that is our model–even if one were NOT Christian. Paul knew that the greatest model of manhood is Jesus of Nazareth or, more completely:

Jesus the Christ!

I imagine that countless Christians since that time have wished for a conversion such as Paul’s, or the confirmation received by the apostle Thomas; but Jesus knew this, and thereby gave us the hope of his promise in his reply to my patron saint,

“You have believed because you have seen; blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe.”

 

St Thomas More

“I die the King’s good servant, and God’s first.”

Thomas More, known by many as “A Man For All Seasons,” from the successful play and movie by Robert Bolt (If you haven’t seen it, please do!).

He gives a stunningly powerful witness to his covenantal commitment to God by his devotion to Christ and to the Church. He was able to give this witness, because throughout his adult life, Thomas emphasized the importance of having a well-formed conscience; and having that virtue should be a natural outcome for any disciple of Jesus Christ, and should apply to every aspect of one’s life. Therefore, a Christian should have no trouble determining the difference between Truth and Falsehood. We do have such trouble, of course, and the subsequent troubles that naturally follow our sin.

His biographers write of his peace during imprisonment, despite the looming execution, “Thus being well and quietly settled in conscience, the security of uprightness of the same so eased and diminished all the griefs and pains of his imprisonment and all his other adversity, that no…lamenting or sorrow appeared in him, but that in his communication with his daughter…and others, he held on his old merry, pleasant talk whosoever occasion served.” Impossible, it seems! It is likely that had it been me languishing on death row and my daughter was visiting me, both my tears and Maureen’s would have flooded the cell!

During his trial, the court gave Thomas multiple opportunities to save his life by supporting both his king’s breakaway church and his new marriage; but Thomas asserted something more important than one’s earthly existence, in his reply to the court: “You say that all good subjects are obliged to reply (with approval); but I say that the faithful subject is more bound to his conscience and his soul than to anything else in the world.”

Neither Christ nor Thomas desired death; but each did so for the sake of the truth. For our Lord, he lay down on the cross for the the truth of his divinity and our salvation; for Thomas, he lay down on the chopping block for the truth of Jesus’s promise of eternal life

The actions of the saints above on behalf of the Christian faith (and Thomas’s, also on behalf of the Catholic Church), provided powerful witness for evangelization purposes during their lives and on through to the present. Each persisted in their beliefs and actions in spite of their looming deaths, such that they would not break the covenant between them and God. While their legacy shows them in halos, they were also men; they just happened to be men who sacrificed themselves for what proved to be the good of others.

Amen.

Tom

The Conversation

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The Conversation

Recently my son Kevin and I traveled to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to visit my brother Joe and his wife Wanda, an activity that he, my daughter Maureen and I have enjoyed for many years. Joe is the oldest in my family of eight siblings (four and four), and next year he will have completed his seventh decade. Despite that advanced age (haha), he continues to demonstrate the joie de vivre by his inquisitiveness, business interests and ability to converse about everything. His "elder" status is the reason Kevin extended his uncle's first name to “Josephus,” after the 1st century Jewish scholar!

We enjoy many aspects of this visit, among them the minimal traffic (I'm from New Jersey!), tranquil environs (I'm from New Jersey!!), Chica the miracle dog (who appeared out of nowhere several years ago, but somehow did so as a loyal, loving and well-behaved stray) and Wanda's delicious meals. But without question, the summit of each visit is the "opening night" dinner in the dining room, when we break bread (and the rest of Wanda's sumptuous repast) and launch "The Conversation."

This discussion lasts for hours. Actually, the entirety of each visit is one long conversation, occasionally interrupted by periods of sleep and an occasional boat ride. We can while away the time over any number of topics, and do so in the comfort of their sunroom, the tranquility on their deck or at a nearby convivial restaurant, in banter that is regularly enlivened by hearty laughter. Unlike the complex orchestration of ingredients needed for Wanda's gustatory delights, the recipe for a good conversation is simple: interesting people, interesting topic, talking and...

listening.

That last ingredient is often the most difficult for us, because of pride. In our eagerness to make a point--one that we, of course, think is the most important--we stop listening and very often cut off the point that another was eager to make. Either way, those willful actions deprive us of the opportunity to learn something new--and understand a point that is important to the other person. So everyone loses!

Another casualty of poor communication is that the person denied the opportunity to register her comment rightly concludes that her conversational partner(s) do not value her thoughts on the matter. That is disheartening.

In Jordan Peterson's book, 12 Rules for Life, he explains how listening is the key component of conversation. In the chapter pointedly titled, "Assume That the Person You are Listening to Might Know Something You Don't," the Canadian psychologist describes various behaviors that hijack a potential exchange of ideas, such that the hijacker wrests control and repeatedly clips the opposing party's comment (because it has become a competition) in order to make what he or she believes is the more important point. He recommends that before each party catapults their desired point they first pause to restate the comment made by the other participants. That makes clear the respect each conversant has for the other. It is easy for me to see the value of this tactic, particularly during emotionally-charged discussions pertaining to, for example, politics and culture, because it tells the other person that his comment has been heard--and that he matters. Peterson goes on to recommend that each participant in the conversation understand themselves to be explorers, each searching for the greater knowledge that awaits them at the end of the exploration (i.e., the conversation).

I've experienced conversations in which my point was repeatedly interrupted, and didn't like it one bit. If the matter was of sufficient importance to me, then I persisted and didn't relinquish the floor; but if I perceived it to have much less importance, then I gradually bowed out. If I did check out, then I would be sure to remember that experience for the next time I was with that person--and discuss it if we were friends. However, I know that I have been guilty of this behavior; and I try to keep that knowledge in mind during conversations, because I would like to be a good listener.

Returning to my "pride" comment, it is worth noting that Peterson asserts that insecurity is a common reason people do not listen. He explains that listening opens up the listeners to the new and different, experiences many perceive as threatening because they may challenge the worldview that shapes their identities. When I returned to graduate school for a degree in theology, I did so with a particular worldview that seemed right and with which I felt secure. It didn't take long, however, for that worldview to be challenged, as the students and professors conversed ourselves through ever-deepening exploration of the subject matter. With the careful guidance by the wise professors, usually through wonderfully stimulating discussions, I came away with a much richer understanding of myself, my faith, humanity and, well, life.

My school experience reminds me of the "Tale of the Empty Teacup." In this story a man visits a zen master, presumably in search of wisdom but whose mind is instead filled with his self-importance. Realizing how full the visitor is of himself and his own ideas, the master first invites him to share tea. After kneeling, the master begins pouring the tea into the visitor's cup; as it begins to overflow the visitor exclaims, "Stop! Can't you see the cup is full!" In response the master replies, "And so are you. Your mind is full and cannot learn anything new. Come back when your mind has been emptied."

The genius of Socrates is suggested by a phrase that has been attributed to him: "I know that I know nothing," because this humility combined with his natural inquisitiveness to learn motivated him to ask, search, explore and listen.

When we remain mindful of the dignity of others and humble in the knowledge of our own limitations, we will have less difficulty listening whenever we are in conversation.

The wisest man who ever lived urged us to "ask, seek and knock," in order receive, find and have opened to us the greatest life possible; but to maintain the necessary humility in order to value others, he also instructed us to "do to others what you would have them do to you."

I commit to listen more. Will you join me?

Amen.

Tom

Men & Friendship

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Men & Friendship

This blog post has taken longer than usual to complete, and that is because I was writing during breaks in the action of various World Cup matches. This Cup is the first that has captured my attention and interest, largely because of my recent vacation to Europe with my son Kevin and my daughter Maureen. Maureen and I flew there to attend Kevin's graduation from Central European University in Budapest, from which he earned a Master of Arts in International Relations (He's been to more than 70 countries, and seems to have related well in each of them, so that academic major makes perfect sense!)

After spending a couple days in that beautiful city, we went on a whirlwind tour of Austria, Switzerland and Italy. It was wonderful! One aspect that was on full display was the camaraderie and apparent friendships among so many young, middle-aged and old men, revolving around the World Cup. Whether in sidewalk cafés (Oh, how I miss them!), restaurants, parks or pubs, their enjoyment of both the sport and each other was plain to see.

I wonder if this type of camaraderie was present with our first human ancestors. Perhaps it originated during the early competitions to bring down a wooly mammoth or herd of gazelles. It would seem logical to conclude that friendship began shortly after the first groups of like-minded humans walked the earth. We don't know whether it was based upon an emotional bond, or after one human proved his or her value to another in a common effort. The historical record surrounding the "Epic of Gilgamesh," the story of the Sumerian king of Mesopotamia, indicates he lived around the period of 2,500 BC. His friendship with Enkidu was so strong, that when Enkidu died Gilgamesh traveled to the land of the dead with the hope and intent of bringing back his dear friend.

Friendship, as with so much of life, has, of course, a Biblical basis.

“And Job's three friends heard word of all this evil which had come on him” so says the author of Job 2:11. Those friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, demonstrated their friendship by going to Job, empathizing with him and just being with him in silence. They made clear to Job their grief for him, and to give him comfort.

What good friends Job had--or so it initially seems! True friendship is there "through thick and thin," and Job was certainly going through the thick with all his problems. HOWEVER, within days of their commiseration his "friends" turned on him, and blamed him for his travails. That must have been devastating for Job to hear, especially because it would have meant he was responsible for the suffering and death of his children. Divine retribution is a tough theology to accept, when those on the receiving end of that punishment are the innocents. Upon reading this I became lost in my imagination. I saw myself in a state of shock while being blamed for the suffering of my children, because of my sins no matter how long ago. Enough!

It seems right that we should want our friends to be honest with us.

One can imagine Job would long for earlier days, and he does exactly that in 29: 4-6--"Oh for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house; when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me. When my path was drenched with cream…" What a poignant and touching cry for a time when pain was a distant concept and not the overwhelmingly dark cloud in his life; a period when life was, well, "drenched with cream..."

Let's be honest: Job's suffering was enough to overwhelm anyone, great friends or not. Still, the possibility of receiving comfort and hope during that suffering, makes devoted friends priceless.

Proverbs 17—"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity." My friends have demonstrated their love for me during the great difficulties in my life, some that were caused by others and some that I inflicted upon myself.

Proverbs 18—"there are persons for companionship, but then there are friends who are more loyal than family." On one hand, blood is thicker than water; but on the other, we are born into a family but we choose our friends.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10—”Two are better than one. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up.” Oh, that truly is a pity!

 

 

 

A few weeks ago I was having a discussion with an acquaintance of mine about human nature, and she proceeded to describe an elderly associate of hers, who is depressed because she has no friends and feels lonely all the time. This woman's coping mechanism consists of paying tradesmen and service workers to do jobs around the house and property, mainly so she can have some company. That is sad, and should be unacceptable to us. But this is a problem that is increasingly common in our culture.

 

 

 

 

Bowling alone

In 2001 Robert Putnam issued a warning call to the American culture, in his book Bowling Alone. In it Putnam described the decreased connectedness of people within their community, to those in their church, their family and their circle of friends--including their bowling leagues.

Just six years later, Father C. John McCloskey reinforced some of Putnam's findings on social isolation and loneliness, a problem he described as "potentially deadly." In his book, Good News, Bad News Fr. McCloskey labeled this problem "Friendship Deficit Syndrome," and outlined the social changes that make friendship formation much more difficult for men. These included frequent job changes, unemployment and financial struggles, loss of single-sex education, co-ed military and family disintegration. He also wrote about the great changes in charitable fraternal organizations that reflected those of the wider culture. For most of their history, groups such as the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association), BSA (Boy Scouts of America) and CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) shared the same purpose, which was to help usher boys and young men into virtuous manhood by modeling virtuous behavior, camaraderie and friendship--among males who can only identify with other males. But the organizations are now coed, and the emphasis is now on social justice.

I've no trouble acknowledging the good work done by these organizations, in fulfilling their new purpose. But I am saddened and frustrated that men have removed themselves from these organizations and the friendly bonds that once ensued, and in their place left a vacuum that was filled by women and caused the great change in the groups' purpose and mission.

Both Putnam and McCloskey have had their data and positions supported by the latest research, which show that loneliness, social isolation and alienation are recognized as greater public health threats than obesity, and significantly increases the risk for premature death!

While Fr. McCloskey's main reason for writing about this problem was its negative impact on evangelization, he asserted that friendship is highly valuable in and of itself and therefore a worthy lifelong experience. To that end, the reverend recommends we concentrate on giving ourselves to others. For children, the best advice would seem to be that which my wife and I would give our children when they were young: "If you want to have a friend, then be a friend."

In order to give to others we must be with others. That means we must turn off our computers, televisions and smartphones, and commit ourselves to people.

After my divorce "Fatherhood" became my sole purpose, and I loved every moment of it. Still, my children did what every healthy child should do: grow up to leave home and build their own lives. And as they needed less of me and my time, some emptiness again had to be filled. In response I returned to school seeking a Master of Arts in theology, and graduated this past May.

One result of engaging in those endeavors was the making of new friends. Of special note is that midway through the school program I took a leave of absence, in order to try an online course at another college. By the second week I was miserable, and had developed constant stiffness and soreness in my neck. It wasn't until my fourth week that I realized those symptoms were classic stress responses, from being isolated in my study at home instead of in the classroom with my colleagues and friends. There was no joy in this experience. I missed the debates, discussions and friendships I had enjoyed while being with them. That fourth week was my last; and by the end of the next day, those symptoms had disappeared.

I'm happy to say that some of those friendships are ongoing, and I hope will endure forever. One of those friendships is with Dan Duddy, my son Kevin's high school football coach and mentor, and currently my co-host on our radio broadcast enterprise (WQPHradio.org); another germinated in the classroom, and grew each week as I drove Paul Addo to a bus depot from school so he could make the journey home; and in the men's faith formation program in my church, where I am one of the group leaders, our joy is often in great humor as part of our camaraderie. Their relatively new friendships bless me on top of my long-time friendships, with Chris Tivenan, Steve Freedman, Mark Occhipinti, Remo Maisto and Ralph de St Aubin

Perhaps I had a greater need for more friends than each of them did, as each is married and most have children still at home. Perhaps they were better men than me, and their friendship made me better than I was before they entered into my life. So I was therefore intentional in wanting to give of myself to them. That is what we do in order to endear ourselves to others, to have them see the value in a new friendship that perhaps they were not seeking.

Perhaps modeling the archetypal lone gunman of the American West, many men have difficulty forming friendships because of their hesitation at opening themselves up to others, and to new situations. That can be especially true, but never more unfortunate, if one is experiencing loneliness. But in Jesus of Nazareth, we have a different model of manliness: loving friend.

John 15:12-15 My command is this: love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Do you want friends? I certainly do, and I hope you do too. Then together, let's be friends.

Amen

Tom

The Bread of Life

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The Bread of Life

"I am the bread of life," proclaims Jesus to his disciples in the Gospel of John. Before we explore this most special Bread, let us take a closer look at the "I am," ("Eigo Emi" in Hebrew) which begins this declaration. That self-referential phrase, that I explore in an earlier post, echoes in affirmation the "I Am" of God in Exodus 3:14, words that the Creator uses while speaking with Moses, as well as in Deuteronomy and Isaiah. By using this phrase, Jesus identifies himself as one with the God of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)--his Father. This "I Am" language makes clear the power behind Jesus' words, as they therefore indicate he has the same authority as God when he speaks to the Hebrews--and that he is equal to God. However, his love and honor for his Father is also made clear by his eagerness to do his Father's will. This connecting language of the Old and New Testament made a big impact upon me, helping to deepen my understanding of Jesus' divinity and his relationship with the God of the Old Testament, and how the books of both Testaments relate to each other--because they most definitely are related despite being centuries apart.

Now let us consider the "Bread" offered by Jesus. In the 6th chapter of John's Gospel Jesus performs another miracle, when he feeds 5,000 people after having been given only five barley loaves (and two small fishes). This is the only one of Jesus' miracles that is recorded in all four Gospels. We can again see the relationship with the Hebrew Scriptures, by recalling how Moses interceded with God to have him feed the Israelites with manna from Heaven, as they made their way out of the wilderness. In a way, Jesus becomes the new and improved Moses much as he became the new and improved Adam. While Moses helped ease the hunger of his people as he led them to freedom, his help was only temporary; that's because the manna was limited, and their subsequent sin led to death.

 

Jesus, on the other hand, offers us permanent relief from hunger as well as ultimate freedom. He accomplishes this by making himself the everlasting bread, and by freeing us from the bondage of sin when we eat it. But just as God did not program his human creatures to love him, Jesus does not compel us to believe in him and his promise. Faithful Catholics are such because we freely choose to follow Jesus, and therefore continue the ancient tradition of believing the host (bread wafer) to be him--literally--a sacrament (sacred gift from Jesus) that is "the source and summit of the Christian life" and toward which all aspects of the faith are oriented. The purpose of the freedom Jesus offers us is not to allow us to do whatever we want, but to allow us to seek the truth of our existence (Jesus) and live an abundant life with him.

Bread has been available for thousands of years, and has long been know as the "staple of life." One of mankind's more pleasurable experiences is to smell freshly baked bread, right after it emerges from the oven, and then tear off a slice in order to slather it with butter. I know it isn't divine, but it seems close! Still, I cannot recall the feeling of my last experience with that bread, because it never lasts. Instead, I know--and believe--that the Bread I taste at every Mass is with me...forever.

Amen!

Tom

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