COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #16: Blessings and Happiness

The following is the 16th of the COVID-19 reflections written primarily for those parishioners who would normally take part in our weekly Bible Study. Sadly, those meetings have been suspended, at least for a while. I hope you find these reflections of some value, and, during these difficult times, I encourage you all to find creative ways to fulfill God's command to love Him and your neighbor. God's peace...

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Aristotle once described happiness as "that which all men seek." He also observed that what we do, day in and day out, is what we believe will bring us happiness in one form or another. Of course, the obvious problem is we are so often wrong. What we hope will bring happiness usually doesn't. For example, many seek happiness in alcohol or drugs or gambling or sexual gratification and instead find only addiction, pain, damaged relationships, and lives spiraling out of control. The result? Lost jobs, destroyed families, and shattered lives. 

Yes, everyone seeks happiness, but so often we look for it in all the wrong places. Good old Aristotle recognized this. He described the ethical person as one who knows and does that which leads to true and lasting happiness. Others seek happiness by striving to attain wealth or power. This, too, always fails. Ultimately, the promised happiness is at best short-lived.

Now, another word for true and lasting happiness is “blessedness” or “beatitude,” something about which Jesus often spoke. And when He spoke, He turned the world of His listeners upside-down. Can you imagine what the people of Galilee thought as they sat on that mountainside and listened to the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount? Heck, just imagine what the people of today would think.

Jesus began with the Beatitudes [Mt 5:3-12], eight declarations of true happiness, of what it means to be blessed. And that’s what they were: declarations. They weren’t commands. Jesus was just offering the Galileans and us the basics of true happiness. Later on, in that same sermon, He’s more specific about how we must live if we are to be His disciples. But right now, He just lays the groundwork, but that’s enough to upset the Galileans’ world (and ours). 

It doesn’t take much time or brainpower to figure out that Jesus’ message is the exact opposite of the world’s message, and the world’s message hasn’t really changed in 2,000 years. The contrast is so very evident.

·         Blessed are the poor in spirit -- Happy are the rich and prosperous, those who believe they have no need of the Spirit.

·         Blessed are they who mourn -- Happy are they who avoid unpleasantness, who consider mourning psychologically unhealthy.

·         Blessed are the meek -- Happy are the clever and ambitious, the newsmakers, the celebrities, those who look out for number one.

·         Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness -- Happy are those whose personal ambition always outweighs justice and truth. 

·         Blessed are the merciful -- Happy are the powerful, those who crush their enemies, who see mercy as weakness.

·         Blessed are the pure of heart -- Happy are those who reject holiness, who use and abuse others for their personal satisfaction and pleasure.

·         Blessed are the peacemakers -- Happy are those who use aggression and violence to achieve the ends they seek. 

·         Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake -- Happy are those who never accept responsibility for their actions, who believe the persecuted have only themselves to blame.

But that’s not all. Jesus concludes the Beatitudes with one more blessing, and this one’s different because it’s personal. No longer is it “they” or “them.” No, this time Jesus speaks in the first person and He speaks directly to you and to me:

“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me” [Mt 5:11].

Jesus then promises that from this blessing will come a reward, actually the bounty of all these blessings, these beatitudes. And it’s not an earthly, but a heavenly reward.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven” [Mt 5:12].

These are not easy words to accept, for we’ve been programmed by the world to seek happiness and rewards right here on earth. Indeed, the world’s message is really quite simple: Focus only on yourself and all will go well. This is the message that bombards you and me, our children, and our grandchildren. It attacks us via a thousand different channels, all day, every day. It was really no different on that day in Galilee so long ago. It may be delivered today via a multitude of different media, but the message hasn’t changed.

Of course, it’s a lie – a clever, insidious lie because it sounds so reasonable, so believable, so true. After all, if I win $100 million playing Power Ball, how could I be anything but happy? I’ve known quite a few millionaires, and even a billionaire or two, and they’ve all suffered from various forms of unhappiness. Eventually, they come to realize that all those possessions, and everything they’ve accomplished have little true meaning, that all could, and eventually will, disappear in the single beat of a heart.

One acquaintance, who focused solely on his work and became fabulously wealthy, found himself bored, lonely, depressed, and deeply unhappy at the age of 40. His wife divorced him, he had sold his company, and for the first time in his life, he had no direction. I couldn’t help but wonder who was happier, he or a Franciscan friend of mine who has absolutely nothing…

So many, deceived by the world's empty promises, haven't yet figured it all out. They know something is terribly wrong in their lives, but they can neither define nor repair it. Fortunately, our God knows what's wrong, for He sees into each human heart. His Son provides the solution, but it's so counterintuitive, so out of this world (so heavenly?), that few are willing to accept it. The thought of abandoning everything in which we've come to believe, including ourselves, and turning in faith to the only source of true happiness...well, for so many that's just not an option, at least not yet. As one very earthly friend said to me, “Maybe on my deathbed...”

But Jesus tells us it's the only option. We’ll be happy only if we’re willing to embrace poverty and sorrow, only if we’re meek and obedient, only if our hunger and thirst for justice moves us to tend to the hungry and thirsty in our midst, only if we welcome strangers, only if we visit and care for the sick and imprisoned. We’ll be happy, He tells us, when we show mercy, when we make peace, when we suffer persecution. 

How many of us actually choose such things? How would you like to receive poverty, sorrow, and hunger as birthday gifts? But this is exactly what the Lord asks of us, exactly what we encounter in the Beatitudes. And hidden within them, underlying each of the Beatitudes, is a single virtue, one that is urged on us throughout Sacred Scripture. It’s a virtue the world silently abhors while pretending to value it: the virtue of humility.

Here, for example, are the words of Zephaniah, whose brief book of prophecy is worth the occasional reading:

“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who have observed His law; seek justice, seek humility…But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the remnant of Israel [Zeph 2:3, 3:12].

Do you detect a foreshadowing of the Beatitudes in Zephaniah’s words? And do you see the importance God places on the virtue of humility? It is, in a very real sense, the foundational virtue which supports other virtues. Humility is a saving virtue.

St. Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, echoes this as he describes God’s choice of disciples:

“Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to Him that you are in Jesus Christ, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord’” [1 Cor 1:26-31].

Yes, indeed, “as it is written…” Paul’s last line about boasting repeats and expands on the Word of the Lord preached by the prophet Jeremiah:

“Let not the wise boast of his wisdom, nor the strong boast of his strength, nor the rich man boast of his riches; but rather let those who boast, boast of this, that in their prudence they know me, know that I, the Lord, act with fidelity, justice, and integrity on earth” [Jer 9:22-23].

Jeremiah preached these words during a most difficult time for God’s People, during the reign of Jehoiakim, the second son of King Josiah. Jehoiakim was a tyrant whose incompetence probably hastened the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian captivity.

But as we read Jeremiah’s words, we clearly see his influence on Paul. God chooses whomever He pleases. To demonstrate His power, He chooses the “lowly and despised” rather than the wise, the strong, or the rich. And who in Jeremiah’s day could be more lowly, more despised, than the survivors being led away from their homes into captivity in pagan Babylon?

We are, then, called to humility, a virtue greatly misunderstood today. Too often humility is equated with a kind of self-deprecation in which the human person has little or no value. But this isn’t true humility. True humility is how we see ourselves in relationship to the rest of reality.

True humility looks first at the world from God’s perspective; one that accepts His creation as good. Everything, from dirt to galaxies, from rattlesnakes to human beings -- all of it is good. And humanity is the crown of that good creation.

Now, some people believe that because of original sin, because we are sinners, we can’t possibly consider ourselves good. But God never retracts His declaration of creative goodness. Indeed, scripture tells us that sin couldn’t destroy the core goodness of God’s ongoing creation:

“God…gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him…might have eternal life” [Jn 3:16].

God wouldn’t do that for garbage. He doesn’t consider us worthless because His own goodness is in us. Ours might be a goodness marred by sin and crippled by evil, but it’s nevertheless His goodness.

True humility, then, helps us recognize the dignity of humanity and the goodness of God’s creation. It helps us recognize our own dignity and value, as well as the equal dignity and value of others. True humility reminds us that every speck of our dignity and value comes not from ourselves but is a gift from God. Everything is a gift!

This morning I heard a reporter describe a successful businessman as a “self-made” man. But there’s really no such person. Certainly, we can achieve things, but underlying all the human effort are the gifts, the talents, and the opportunities that come only from God. True humility also leads us to accept that the unrecognized hands of others are often behind the situations that bring about the good in our lives.

To be humble, then, is to recognize who we are in relationship with God and with others. Humility leads us to thanksgiving for the value God places on us, and to the recognition that everyone has equal value, from the murderer on death row to the millionaire in Palm Beach, from the unborn baby in the womb to the homeless alcoholic begging for your spare change.

True humility leads us to realize that if God values us so highly, we too must value each other. This is where humility and the Beatitudes come together. 

Humility -- the recognition of God’s gift of goodness in each one of us – drives us to carry God’s love, to carry His peace and justice, to all those others in our lives, regardless of how the world values (or devalues) them..

Only through humility can we exchange our “me-first” attitude for a “God-first” attitude. 

Only through humility can we be obedient and meek in God’s presence, as we strive to conform ourselves to His will.

Only through humility can we join ourselves with those who mourn and share in their burden.

Only through humility can we love those who are poor because we know our possessions can never equal another’s dignity.

And only through humility can we accept that God’s mercy demands mercy from us.

Yes, brothers and sisters, the arrogant and the proud won’t bring about God’s kingdom. The humble will lead the way. These aren’t my words. They’re right out of the Sermon on the Mount. They’re God’s Word.

And so, as we struggle through this challenging time, let’s vow to make these days a time of real change; for that’s what the word, repent, means – to re-think, to change one’s mind or purpose. For most of us, the greatest change is to develop a true humility, to become like Jesus Himself, the Son of God who lowered Himself to become one of us. Let’s make Him the center of our lives.

And believe me; this will turn your world upside down and lead you to lasting happiness.

Remembering 9/11

I suppose everyone over the age of 25 has a 9/11 story, a story that answers the question, "Where were you when the terrorists attacked?" My own story isn't very dramatic, and compared to those directly involved, I was a mere spectator, and a distant one at that. 

As I recall that day, September 11, 2001 -- like December 7, 1941, a "date which will live in infamy" -- I find it particularly odd that I first heard of the attack from a woman seated in an office in London, England. At the time I was employed by Excel Switching, a manufacturer of programmable telecommunications switches, located in Hyannis, Massachusetts. We had recently been acquired by Lucent Technologies and were integrating into their organization.

That morning I was on a conference call with a dozen or so people from around the world, when the woman in London exclaimed, "Oh, heavens! I just saw it on the telly. A plane flew into the World Trade Center in New York. It looks very bad indeed." I asked her, "Can you see what the weather's like in New York?" I knew it was a beautiful September day on Cape Cod, but it could be very different 200 miles away in New York City. "It looks like a nice, sunny day," she said, "Blue sky and I can see no clouds." Hearing that, and based on some common sense and my years as a Navy pilot, I knew one thing: it was no accident. No pilot accidentally flies into a large building in Manhattan on a beautiful, clear, sunny day. I was certain it was intentional, and, given the target, likely a terrorist attack, and said so. The others were not so certain. Of course, at this point we didn't know the type of aircraft involved. Was it a small civilian plane or a commercial airliner? But knowing a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center was disturbing enough that I suggested we end the call so we could sort out what had happened. I was thinking of our technical support people in the field, especially those who might be in New York working on or installing equipment.

Leaving my office I ran into one of our VPs and together we made our way to our spacious lunchroom where many of our employees had already gathered to witness the events on a large-screen TV. Minutes later we saw the second plane, another large Boeing 767, fly into the south tower and any lingering doubts about the nature of the attack disappeared. The tragedy then accelerated as we heard of the attack on the Pentagon and watched in horror as the two towers collapsed before our eyes. Finally, we heard the news of the crash of United 93 in that farmer’s field in Shanksville, PA. I later learned that two people I knew well, one a Navy intelligence officer and the other an employee of Washington Group International, died in those attacks on the Pentagon and New York. 

The suddenness and enormity of the attacks united the nation. In our grief for the victims and their families, and our outrage over those responsible, we seemed to come together as a nation determined to do what was necessary to bring the terrorist leaders to justice and prevent more attacks. 

Did we accomplish this? Well, during those 19 years we killed a lot of terrorists, along with most of their original leadership. But leadership vacuums fill quickly by those waiting in the wings, and terrorists are especially good at forming new organizations to attract another cadre of discontents. I suspect it wasn’t hard to convince the new recruits that all their problems had Western and Judeo-Christian roots. We also tried to effect major societal change in nations like Afghanistan. But despite our best efforts, we were unable to consummate the marriage of Islam and representative democracy, quite likely a hopeless task that never should have been attempted. 

The costs of all this have been tremendous, both in lives — the lives of young Americans, the very best of their generation — and in national treasure. What should we have done? On this, my thoughts haven’t changed, but this is not the time or place to air them — perhaps some other time.

Today, 19 years later, our nation is certainly different. Seemingly divided by almost every measure — political, economic, racial, spiritual... — as a people most of us stand on the sidelines watching a tiny minority rampage through our cities as they try to destroy the very fabric of the nation that tolerates their gross stupidity. Do we face a new kind of terrorist, one spawned by our own communities and nurtured in families where God has been evicted and replaced by a materialism that never satisfies? Is this new terrorism taught overtly in our schools and universities where academic freedom has been crushed by the political correctness of the far left? I suppose we are all, in a sense, guilty because, wrapped up in our own lives, we have turned away and allowed this to happen. 

Pondering our societal inaction, the lack of courage displayed by our unwillingness to confront that which is tearing us apart from within, I can't help but recall the true courage of the passengers on United 93. As that Boeing 757 flew above Pennsylvania, speeding toward our nation's capital, those passengers knew exactly what awaited them if they did nothing. Faith and courage overpowered their fears that morning and they did what had to be done. How did Jesus put it?

"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends" [Jn 15:13].

Those men and women of Flight 93 are indeed our friends, and we must never forget them and all those others who gave their lives that fateful day. And let us remember, too, all our service men and women who have sacrificed so much so others can live their lives in peace.    

As we struggle to regain our courage as a people, perhaps we should embody those words of Todd Beamer who led the charge on Flight 93. As he rose from his seat to confront the hatred and evil that faced him and his companions, Beamer simply said:

"OK, let's roll!"

I think we've got some rollin' to do.

 

Dealing with Hatred

I can't recall ever encountering so much hatred in our nation as seemingly exists today. Certain groups, apparently founded on and continuing to espouse Marxist principles, simply cannot abide the presence of any contrary beliefs. For example, Black Lives Matter "protesters" who openly support the looting and burning of businesses in American neighborhoods are now invading restaurants, creating physical havoc by upending tables and chairs, all the while demanding that the diners support them. 

This video was taken in Rochester, NY and shows the tormented tots of BLM storming a local restaurant. Don't they sound like little 5-year-olds in the midst of a tantrum because mommy and daddy didn't give them the toy they wanted?

Here's another, in Washington, D.C., a bit more placid but still remarkably stupid. Watch this collection of spoiled white kids who never learned a thing from their equally ignorant professors. Their poor parents paid tens of thousands to colleges and universities that failed to educate their children. How sad for them all...except the schools. As a result all the little ones are able to do is parrot the inane words screamed into a megaphone by their verbally challenged  "leader." Again, how sad. Not an original thought in the group.

These, of course, are among the more "peaceful" of the BLM and Antifa demonstrations now plaguing our nation. Believe me when I warn you that your city or town, your neighborhood, could well be next. These yahoos have no intention of limiting their violent activity to the big cities. Right now, those cities, run by equally stupid far-left mayors and city councils, are the neo-barbarians' best hunting grounds because they know the police won't challenge them. But because they're not very bright, they'll begin to think themselves invincible. That will be their mistake. The folks who live in America's heartland won't tolerate what you saw above in unarmed cities like Washington, DC and Rochester, NY. If the barbarians get really stupid they will suffer stupidity's unintended consequences. One can only hope things do not go that far.

But how should we Christians respond to all this? If we turn to Sacred Scripture and Church teaching, we can find some good answers. 

Some Christians maintain that we must tolerate those who want to do us harm, that any resort to violence is no better than the violence that threatens us. The Church, however, has never taught this and has, indeed, always supported the human person's right to self-defense. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says quite a bit about this right, which for many becomes even a duty. I've extracted only a few paragraphs

2263 The legitimate defense of persons and societies is not an exception to the prohibition against the murder of the innocent that constitutes intentional killing. "The act of self-defense can have a double effect: the preservation of one's own life; and the killing of the aggressor...The one is intended, the other is not."

2264 Love toward oneself remains a fundamental principle of morality. Therefore it is legitimate to insist on respect for one's own right to life. Someone who defends his life is not guilty of murder even if he is forced to deal his aggressor a lethal blow...

2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.

2266 The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people's rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and the duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. When it is willingly accepted by the guilty party, it assumes the value of expiation. Punishment then, in addition to defending public order and protecting people's safety, has a medicinal purpose: as far as possible, it must contribute to the correction of the guilty party.

Church teaching, then, is clear: we have a right to defend ourselves against those intent on harming us. We can also use less than lethal defensive measures to prevent those prohibiting us from exercising our God-given human rights.

Some, however, seem to believe that evil does not exist, or that people cannot be overcome by evil -- that such people are simply misunderstood. They are decidedly wrong, as the history of humanity shows us. Overcome by the presence of evil, men and women soon forget God, who is the personification of goodness and love. They become habituated to the presence of sin in their lives and disorder fills them -- disorder of body, mind, and spirit. We see this in those who have ravaged our cities. They cannot accept the freedom of others. They cannot tolerate that others find happiness and joy in God's creation, in His gifts, and desire to live only in peace. These others they accuse of causing their own self-generated failures. 

What are we to do? Well, in addition to defending ourselves, we must confront evil with the truth. Interestingly, the readings for today's Mass (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A) address this beautifully. 

The psalmist reminds God's people that many will ignore God, and in doing so, will turn to evil. Even their fathers had fallen prey to this failing:

"...your fathers tempted me; they tested me though they had seen my works" [Ps 95:9]. 

Yes, even living in the midst of God's creation, surrounded by His wondrous works, we can forget His presence:

"You are the God who does wonders; among the peoples you have revealed your might...and no one saw your footprints" [Ps 77:15,20].

Evil exists, and driven by ignorance and self-worship it must be confronted by the truth. In today's first reading the prophet Ezekiel reminds us that by warning those who do evil, we are doing God's work:

"But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself" [Ez 33:9]. 

In today's second reading, St. Paul reminds the Romans and us that our attitude toward others -- even those who do evil to us -- must be grounded in love:

"Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law" [Rom 13:10]

And then, in today's Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus doesn't pull any punches. Our attitude and approach to those who stray, who generate disunity in the Body of Christ, must be one of love. But the one attitude we must always avoid is that of indifference. God desires reconciliation and peace among His people, and to allow disunity is to reject the will of God. We must, therefore, take positive steps to restore the unity God desires. 

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector" [Mt 18:15-17].

Here we encounter a deeper understanding of the teaching found in Old Testament, a teaching that immediately precedes God's command to "love your neighbor as yourself."

"You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him" [Lv 19:17].

Like Leviticus, Jesus places the responsibility to act on the offended party. So often today, when we are offended or treated badly -- when someone "sins against" us -- we ignore those first three steps and immediately jump to the last. We just toss the other person out of our lives. But Jesus instructs us to make every effort to "win over" our brother. Indifference, then, is not permissible. 

Jesus, of course, took this same approach in His dealings with those who obstinately refused to follow God's revealed Word. He never allowed the Pharisees to get away with their willful and self-centered attitudes and behaviors. And yet, at the same time, Jesus' rebukes and questions were always consistent with His long-suffering desire to bring about the conversion and redemption of all. 

Jesus, then, remains the Good Shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep to bring him back into the fold. His teaching here is one of those highly practical teachings to help His Church deal with the reality of the world in which it must thrive. 

St. Paul, who focused so much on needs of the early Church, never tired in reminding us that love must always be joined to truth. Aware of our own weaknesses, we must still:

"...preach the Word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching" [2 Tim 4:2].

Yes, indeed, love married to truth. That is our challenge, but always remembering:

"What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?...No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us" [Rom 8:35,37].

(A friend just reminded me that I had written about fraternal correction some years ago and should provide a link to it. For what it’s worth, here it is: Fraternal Correction)

Politicians vs. Navy Lives

During my years in the Navy I had a few interactions with our special warfare troops, specifically the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) and their successors, the Navy SEALs. SEALs are remarkable, extremely competent warriors whom our nation calls on to carry out the kind of special operations few others can do. Years ago, as a Navy helicopter pilot, I occasionally flew small teams of SEALs out over the Pacific so they could practice their night, over-water parachute jumps. Although I would never doubt their courage, as a pilot I will always question anyone’s decision to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft, particularly at night over the ocean. But that’s the kind of men they’re are. They do whatever the mission demands, all that must be done, even in training.

Something else most people don’t know about SEALs is their intentional avoidance of publicity. Indeed, the less said about the SEALs in the media or anywhere else, the happier they are, something that applies to most special warfare groups. As you might expect, they’re a highly decorated bunch, but many of the citations for their medals are classified and cannot be shared with others. There are, of course, important reasons for all this. Because most of the operations conducted by SEALs are clandestine, and for good reason highly classified, media coverage can jeopardize other related operations and national security. But media coverage can also endanger the lives of individual SEALs and even their families. This is especially true these days when the target of most operations are terrorist groups that would love to know the units and the men responsible for destroying their people and assets. The Navy and the entire Department of Defense, therefore, do not release the identify of individuals, unit names, or even which special warfare groups were involved in an operation. It’s always best to keep the enemy in the dark and guessing about who’s just hammered them.

At a Pentagon briefing the day after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011, a senior defense official was asked if it were a Navy SEAL team that found and killed the world’s most wanted man. The terse and proper response was: “Not going to comment on units or numbers.” On May 3, however, Vice President Joe Biden, at a awards banquet event in D.C., told the world that Navy SEALs we’re responsible for taking out the terrorist leader. His words:

"...the incredible, the phenomenal, the almost unbelievable capacity of the Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday...I'd be remiss also if I didn't say an extra word about the incredible events, extraordinary events of this past Sunday. As Vice President of the United States, as an American, I was in absolute awe of the capacity and dedication of the entire team, both the intelligence community, the CIA, the SEALs."  

Hearing this, most folks considered it fine praise for our Navy special operators. But not the members of SEAL Team Six. They were surprised and upset that the Vice President had named the SEALs as the operators involved in the mission. Most told their families to remove any references to them and the SEALs from social media because intelligence folks had already alerted them of expected attempts to retaliate. For example, the next day, SEAL Aaron Vaughn called his mom and told her, "There's chatter and all our lives are in danger, including yours. Mom."

Three months later, on August 6, 2011, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan. All 38 aboard died, including many members off SEAL Team Six, including SEAL Aaron Vaughn. Was this attack related to the earlier "outing" of the SEALs? Unanswered questions still remain about this incident, and many believe it was a well-planned attack by the Taliban in retaliation for the raid against their favored ally, Osama bin Laden.  Check out this report: SEAL Team Six Betrayal.

Here’s a brief news video from 2012 highlighting the family of one of those SEALs killed by the Taliban.

When it comes to understanding military operations, politicians often display abysmal ignorance. As you might expect this leads them to say and do a lot of foolish things. Joe Biden’s not alone here. Politicians of all stripes have fallen prey to the temptation to reveal information best kept confidential. Sometimes they do so simply to grab a headline, gain a few political points, or just to hear applause during their after-dinner speech. Ironically, too often they hope to highlight their patriotism by addressing things military. I suppose this is to be expected since so few members of Congress are veterans. Back in the late 60s and early 70s almost 80% of the members of Congress were veterans. Today it’s down to about 20%. Joe Biden was one of his generation’s exceptions. He never served in the military, but instead got one deferment after another. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump did much the same, but at least Trump seems to understand his job is to define the objectives and let his commanders do what’s necessary to achieve them. 

Perhaps our politicians' most catastrophic errors have been the politically inspired rules of engagement forced on our warriors by those who have never experienced combat. Our enemies today don’t follow the rules of the Geneva Convention, but use any means whatever to kill and destroy. How many 911s do we need to understand this? To send our warriors into harm’s way with their hands tied behind their backs always leads to unintended but predictable consequences that inevitably result in disaster.

COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #15: A Relationship of Love

In today’s reflection I hope to focus on several different but interrelated aspects of our relationship with God:

·  God’s limitless love for us, best expressed by the Incarnation

·  Our love for God, expressed by our obedience to His commandments

·  The manifestation of this loving relationship in how we love each other

——————————-

And so, let’s look first at God’s love for you, His love for me…

“…everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God” [Lk 12:8].

Are you moved and filled with hope when you hear these wonderful words of Jesus? Could we hope for much more than to be acknowledged before the angels? What Good News this is – God’s promise of salvation and His call to evangelization.

And yet, sadly, I encounter so many people who, because of their sins, almost despair of achieving salvation. Among their mistakes, of course, is the idea that they, or indeed anyone, can achieve salvation. We can’t…not on our own. Salvation, like every other good thing, is a gift from God.

A few years ago, in his homily during Mass at St. Martha’s House, the Vatican guesthouse where he lives, Pope Francis said:

“One of the hardest things for all of us Christians to understand, is the gratuity of Jesus Christ’s salvation.”

In other words, because God’s love is so far beyond any human love we could ever experience, we find it hard to understand it, much less accept it. How can God love me in my sinfulness? I always seem to be falling instead of rising, always disappointing myself, always disappointing God.

Yes, we are called to obedience, to do as God has commanded us as a response to His gratuitous love. And yet because we are sinful, imperfect creatures, we often fail to live out our faith. We find ourselves, then, in the midst of a battle, but an internal, self-made, and unproductive battle.

The pope continued by suggesting how much better it would be if we would only focus on God’s great commandment:

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” [Lk 10:27].

This is the commandment that saves. This is the love that truly reflects God’s gratuitous love for us. How did St. Peter put it?

“Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins” [1 Pt 4:8].

Do you and I believe the Lord saves us freely, that we have done nothing to merit salvation? I hope so, because it’s the truth, the Good News we’re called to take to others. This is the remarkable love, God’s love, we’re called to share with the world. And it’s through this sharing of God’s love that we can acknowledge Jesus Christ before others. Never forget what St. Paul wrote to Timothy:

“God our savior… wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” [1 Tim 2:3-4].

Don’t place limits on God’s limitless love, but put aside your judgment of others, and instead do God’s work in the world by helping others “come to knowledge of the truth” which is Jesus Christ...

For He, and only He, is “the Way and the Truth and the Life” [Jn 14:6].

——————————-

Okay, we know that God loves us. But what does He expect of us?

Let’s turn first to the Letter to the Romans, the longest of St. Paul’s letters. In many respects it’s also the most important of his letters in that it touches on all the major themes of the Gospel. It’s really a treatise on the Good News of Jesus Christ.

"Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God...to all the beloved of God in Rome...called to belong to Jesus Christ...called to be holy [Rom 1:1,6,7].

Romans begins with Paul describing himself as “a slave of Christ Jesus” [Rom 1:1]. Some folks find this a bit odd. After all, as baptized Christians, are we not adopted children of the Father? Doesn’t the Church teach that we’re sisters and brothers of Christ? And doesn’t Jesus call His disciples His friends?

Which, then, are we? Brother, sister, friend, or slave? Well, the only correct answer is “all of the above.”

Here is another wonderful paradox of our Christian faith. Yes, Paul is right: in a sense, we are slaves – servants called to do the will of God. But because we are also God’s children, and because Jesus calls us to be His friends, God doesn’t demand slavish obedience, an obedience of submission. He instead allows us to choose. We obey our God out of freedom, a freedom arising from our close relationship with Jesus. In a sense we are slaves living in freedom. I told you it was a paradox.

As Jesus’ friends, as His brothers and sisters, we want to do as He asks. We respond obediently just as a slave would, but we do so because we recognize God’s great love for us. In faith we know we are loved by the Father who brought us into being. We are loved by the Son who gave His life for our redemption. We are loved by the Spirit who guides us, inspires us, and leads us on our journey of faith. And in faith we return that love by trusting that God will call us to do only that which is good. In faith we accept that God knows best what’s good for us.

When I was a little guy, my parents bought me my first bicycle as a birthday gift. I could hardly wait to ride it, and so I got up early that next morning, climbed on that little bike and tried to ride it. A valiant attempt, but I immediately fell over onto the driveway and skinned a knee and elbow. I was horrified and embarrassed. I had failed to ride this wonderful thing for which I had waited so long.

My dad, who had witnessed this from the kitchen window, came outside and said: “Look, if you want to learn to ride your new bike, you’ll have to let me teach you. Will you do that?”

I had to think about it. I hated to admit I couldn’t do it on my own, but I really wanted to ride that bike. I wanted the freedom it offered, the ability to go wherever I wanted in our little town. And so, I buried my pride and turned myself over to my dad’s instruction.

An hour later I was pedaling up and down our street, about as happy as a six-year-old could possibly be. My father, too, was smiling, happy I had placed my trust in him and learned an important lesson.

That day I learned I couldn’t do everything myself, that first I had to learn and grow, to accept help. Paul teaches the Romans much the same thing by focusing on God’s call to each of us. 

In Paul’s words, he was “called to be an Apostle” [Rom 1:1] and was writing to those “called to belong to Jesus Christ” [Rom 1:6], to those “called to be holy” [Rom 1:7].

That’s our calling: “to belong to Jesus Christ” and “to be holy.” And Paul’s Letter to the Romans goes on to explain this call.

Jesus, then, calls us to follow Him, to deny ourselves, to take up our own cross, for only by doing so can we be His disciples. But that’s just the beginning, for we’re also called to “make disciples of all nations” [Mt 28:19].

Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? And so, how do we do it? 

Not by relying on our human strengths, not by thinking we can do it all ourselves, not by trying to fix things, or solve problems, or convince others to be just like you or just like me. Too often we try to force others, to argue them into discipleship. Believe me, it doesn’t work. I know because I’ve tried.

You see, making disciples is God’s work. Let God work through you, especially through your weaknesses. Most often it means simply being there when another is in need. It means seeing Jesus Christ in your spouse, in your children and grandchildren, in everyone you meet…and letting them see Jesus Christ in you.

Jesus calls us to love the unloved, to feed those who hunger and thirst for God’s presence in their lives. And He calls us to be that presence, to be God’s quiet, loving presence.

We are the called, brothers and sisters. This is our identity as Christians. This is the meaning of our lives. Let’s all try to live a life worthy of our calling.

Our loving relationship with God, then, must also extend to others.

———————- 

Jesus was always teaching, wasn’t He? And like any good teacher, He was always being questioned.

Even as a youth, as a twelve-year-old in the Temple, Jesus answered the questions of the wise. Luke tells us that “all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers” [Lk 2:47]. Isn’t that remarkable? They, the Temple’s wise ones, were questioning Him!

And the questions continued right up to that final barrage Jesus received from Pilate, as He stood before him facing death. Even Pilate, the Roman Patrician who no doubt considered the Jews little more than rabble – even Pilate sought answers from this Jesus, this teacher whom he would soon judge under man's law. 

“Are you the King of the Jews?” [Jn 18:33]

“Where are you from?” [Jn 19:9]

“Do you not you know that I have…power to crucify you?” [Jn 19:10]

And, of course, that other question, sneered by Pilate, that first-century relativist: 

“What is truth?” [Jn 18:38]

Pilate should have asked, “Who is truth?”, because he was in the presence of “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Almost everyone Jesus met asked Him questions. It’s as if, somehow, they all knew, if only subconsciously, who He really was. Those He encountered seemed to sense He was far more than just a teacher. What did the centurion say as he looked up at the crucified Jesus?

“Truly this was the Son of God” [Mt 27:54].

And then there was the scholar who approached Jesus and asked:

"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" [Lk 10:25]

The scholar, of course, was testing Jesus. He knew the answer to his question because it was right there in the Word of God. And so, Jesus tests the tester with a question of His own:

“What is written in the Law? [Lk 10:26]

As expected, the scholar went directly to Scripture and provided the correct answer:

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” [Lk 10:27].

But it’s not necessary to be a scholar to know God and what He expects of us. Indeed, just moments before Jesus had prayed to the Father:

“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” [Lk 10:21]

But not being very childlike, the scholar, hoping more to justify himself than to learn, asks Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In His answer Jesus offers us a gift, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, a parable both scholar and childlike can understand: 

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho...” [Lk 10:30]

But what exactly did the Samaritan do? After all, he was a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, thought to be outside the Law. And yet, he obeys that Law, doesn’t he? Well, at the very least, he listened to his well-formed conscience and acted righteously. And this set him on the path to eternal life. Remember that original question: 

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” [Lk 10:25]

This is what Jesus' answer is all about. Three encountered the wounded man on the road, but only one of the three did anything to help. How did Jesus put it? “Many are called but few are chosen” [Mt 22:14]

And so today, let’s reflect on our own lives. Who are the wounded you and I encounter? The physically wounded? Or mentally wounded? Or spiritually wounded? Do we even recognize them in the busyness of our lives? Or perhaps we see them, but turn away, preferring not to be bothered. Anyway, someone else will take care of them.

Is this how we hope to inherit eternal life? As Christians we should know better. To inherit eternal life, we must come to know God in faith, to know Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. 

This knowing of God is really a knowledge of love. As John reminds us: to know the Truth that is God is to know God, who "is Love" [1 Jn. 4:16]. It always comes back to Love, doesn’t it? To love the Lord your God with all your being, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

How did Mother Teresa put it? "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Yes, indeed, we spend so much time judging others, and so little time loving them.

St. James reminded us all of this when he wrote that "mercy triumphs over judgment" [Jas 2:13].

We should all thank God for that.