Month: August 2020

Today’s Gospel reading can be summed up in this warning: “Beware the paparazzi!” Of course, 99% of us aren’t that high profile that we have to worry about a crowd of photographers chasing after us to document our every move in order to sell the photos to media outlets for thousands of dollars. Instead we have interior paparazzi in our hearts. We snap virtual photos of us in the form of memories that we hold up like mirrors in order to admire ourselves.

“Just look at me!” “Wasn’t that good of me to do?” “See how I dealt with that situation?” “How holy I look when I’m praying….”

Is everyone noticing me?

The scribes and Pharisees had fallen into the danger that is ever-present for anyone who sincerely wants to be a good person. As Simon Tugwell, OP put it, “The danger with our good works, our spiritual accomplishments, and all the rest of it, is that we shall construct out of them a picture of ourselves in which, effectively, we shall situate our happiness. Complacency in ourselves will then replace delight in God.”

One can imagine individuals to whom Jesus is referring going home at night gazing at their own contentment, reliving every inch of footage from the day, admiring themselves from every angle.

“All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor…and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’”

Jesus advises the crowds to turn their attention away from themselves and from authorities on this earth who can look at us approvingly and mentor, shape, and guide our lives to God in their own images.

You have only one Father in heaven. You have but one master, the Christ.

If our eyes are on our Father, we re-assume our proper place before him as creature. “The greatest among you must be your servant.”

It is little children who do not self-consciously admire themselves as they carry on the drama of their lives. The “scribes and the Pharisees” and anyone who keeps the interior paparazzi busily snapping self-conscious images want to keep themselves in the picture. They want to get something. They want to become something for their own benefit. They want to buy their way into eternal life.

It is as children that we remain before the Father, students before the Master, humble servants before our brothers and sisters.

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I had quite the feisty temper when I was little and my mother would always tell me to take a deep breath before responding if my reaction could be hurtful or damaging. The power of that one breath was remarkable. There is so much strength in something as simple as taking a deep breath.

The Hebrew word for “breath” in the Old Testament was “Ruah”, also meaning “wind”, or “spirit”. However, “Ruah” was specifically understood to signify the “breath of God” that animates all of God’s living; a distinct presence of God that enables life to be.

 “…concerning ruah, we can say that the breath of God appears in them as the power that gives life to creatures. It appears as a profound reality of God which works deep within man. It appears as a manifestation of God’s dynamism which is communicated to creatures.”

-St. Pope John Paul II

Humanity’s first recorded encounter with God’s “Ruah” is found during Creation: “then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). There are two other significant mentions of “Ruah” in Scripture. One is in today’s first reading, “Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Listen! I will make breath enter you so you may come to life” (Ez. 37:5). The last is John 20, “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit’” (Jn. 20:22).

The image that we have in the First Reading of dry bones being brought back to life is so powerful for us today. I look around at our society and communities and all I can see are dry bones, as far as the eye can see. We live in a time where human life is trampled upon, human dignity is not valued, and the transcendent and eternal realities of our faith have no bearing on the way people lead their lives. We were not created to simply go through the motions of our daily lives. We were created to have life, and life in abundance!! We are dry bones, parched for hope and for human connection, and we are in desperate need of a revival – a “ruah.”

But as I read the passage from Ezekiel again, I realize that the Lord is not the one reviving the bones, at least not directly. He is telling Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, to say His words and give life to that which is dead.

That is the same call for us, brothers and sisters. The world around us is desperately crying out for hope, and it is up to us to breathe that Gospel message into those we encounter. Grace builds on human nature; God works in cooperation with our willingness to be His vessels. Just as Adam’s life came from the breath of God, and the dry bones were revived through Ezekiel, so also did the disciples’ new spiritual life come from Jesus through the Breath of the Holy Spirit. Through our Baptism, we were imparted with that same Spirit; that same life of Christ in our souls that enables us to live out our vocations of priest, prophet, and king. So with every breath within us, let us speak life.

“I will put my spirit in you that you may come to life, and I will settle you in your land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. I have spoken; I will do it” (Ez. 37:14).

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There are so many beautiful components to our faith. We have Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, the teachings of which Christ has given us to continue living the faith while we wait for His second coming. What a glorious day it will be to reunite with Him fully, to walk side by side with Him for eternity.

With all of the holy components of our faith that we have been given, including devotions that have been passed on to new generations over the years, I can honestly say that I can get overwhelmed knowing how God is calling me to spend time with Him. Of course the Holy Mass and Sacred Scripture are two key areas of our faith given by God that will help us to know Him more intimately, but the other devotions are optional (which can make finding a daily prayer routine tough to establish). Should I pray the rosary daily, the divine mercy chaplet, or the liturgy of the hours? Should I be doing all three of those things daily to grow in my relationship with Christ? How many chapters of Scripture should I be reading? Should I be engaging in more spontaneous prayer?

While all of these devotions are beautiful God calls each of us differently to Himself. By saying this I mean there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. He has created each of us unique in His image and likeness. He has known us before we were born and He knows our life story already. He knows us so intimately and loves us exactly for who we are, so we don’t need to compare ourselves to others or put ourselves down if we pray differently than someone else. For some individuals they can only pray one decade of the rosary with intentionality while others could pray five rosaries with the same level of intentionality throughout the extended time. Some people take 15 minutes to pray a rosary while others take almost an hour or more. Does this make one of these individuals more worthy in God’s eyes? Of course not – both individuals are equally and perfectly loved by God. He is pleased to spend intimate time with each of them, building relationships with them all. God has already won the battle, and there is nothing that we can do to make Him love us any differently – His love is perfect and complete for each of us.

When you feel overwhelmed by the devotions that our beautiful faith has to offer, or even find yourself comparing your prayer life to that of others, it is time to take a step back and sit in His presence. Be humble and ask Him to see your littleness, remembering that He loves you perfectly and only desires to be with you for you. Ask Him to show you how He is calling you to draw close to Him, whether it be more scripture, a rosary, or even spontaneous prayer.

We are not measured by the perfection of our prayer. God only desires to be with us, desires for us to love others as He has loved us, and ultimately desires for us to continue opening the door of our hearts to Him.  Our faith is not about checking off boxes of devotions we have to feel holy, but it is rather about choosing holiness when the going gets tough by leaning into our relationship with Christ with genuine intention.

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