Bible Study Reflection #26: To Be Poor In Spirit

You will need to refer to your Bible for this reflection...so get ready to read two Gospel passages: Mark 10:17-31 and  Luke 19:1-10.

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I’ll begin this reflection by asking you to open your Bible, turn to Chapter 10 of the Gospel According to Mark, and read Mk 10:17-31. 

It’s a passage with which you’re all familiar: the incident involving the rich, young man who approached Jesus and asked Him for the key to eternal life. Before going any further, read it now. Read it slowly so you can better appreciate what the Holy Spirit reveals to you.

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I can speak only for myself, but whenever I read this passage from Mark, I cringe a little; and I suspect I’m not alone in this. Now, compared with many in our society, I am not a wealthy man, but when placed alongside the vast majority of humanity, I am very rich indeed. How, then, am I to measure myself? And against what? Amid the resulting confusion fueled by so many unanswered questions, I find myself embroiled in an interior battle. How does God want me to live? Can I give generously to the poor, but still live reasonably well, enjoying the fruits of my labor? Or must I renounce the world’s “good things” and choose a life of poverty? After all, Jesus instructed the rich man to do exactly that. Where do I draw the line? Is there a line?

And yet, Jesus didn’t tell everyone to choose poverty, did He? At this point, open your Bible once again, turn to Chapter 19 of the Gospel According to Luke, and read the first ten verses [Lk 19:1-10]. It’s another passage you’ve heard many times before, in which Luke describes Jesus’ encounter in Jericho with a man named Zacchaeus. Please read it now.

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As far as the people of Jericho were concerned, Zacchaeus already had two strikes against him: He was Jericho’s “chief tax collector and also a wealthy man” [Lk 19:2]. And because of Zacchaeus’ profession the townspeople considered him a public sinner [Lk 19:7] – strike three.

Of course, as Christians we all accept that we are sinners, and yet most of us wouldn’t want our sinfulness to be aired publicly: “Ok, I’m a sinner, just don’t tell anyone about my sins.” I suppose this is simply another irony of our human nature.

It seems as if Zacchaeus knew what everyone thought of him and apparently accepted it. He probably considered it part of the cost of “doing business.” But then he encountered Jesus. Moved by the sight of our Lord, seemingly awed by His mere Presence, and humbled and overjoyed by Jesus’ decision to stay at his house, Zacchaeus’ reply to Jesus is truly remarkable:

Behold, half my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over [Lk 19:8].

Presumably, even after this, Zacchaeus would still be far from poor. And how did Jesus respond?

Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost [Lk 19:9-10].

Zacchaeus, who had been lost, was now saved. We hear this and wonder. Why is one man expected to sell everything, while another need only give away a portion? We find ourselves seeking some objective guidance. How do we measure ourselves against these two men and so many others like them in the Bible? Why can’t Jesus just give us a rule we can follow so we’ll know where we stand? Like the rich man who questioned Jesus – “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” – we want the key, don’t we? What’s the bottom line, Jesus? Yes, indeed, we want an easy solution. Or perhaps we’d rather not hear God’s will for us. What if it proves too demanding, too life-changing? Will we, too, walk away sad?

In truth, though, I believe the Lord wants each of us to look deeply into our heart and soul, to examine and understand what we consider important, what motivates us as we struggle through God’s gift of life. It’s so easy to set up false gods, those little and sometimes not so little things that distract from God’s will for us.

Have you ever wondered why God made this His first commandment?

I am the LORD your God...You shall not have other gods beside me [Dt 5:6-7].

It’s as if he were telling us: “Okay, children, get this first commandment right and the others are easy. You need only place Me first, always, and everything else will go just as I will for you.”

Indeed, the next nine commandments fall into place as logical consequences of the first, because each of them involves either the acceptance of the one true God or the rejection of one or more false gods.

For the rich man described by Mark, possessions had become his false god, one he placed beside (or even above) God Himself. “Jesus loved him” – and, yes, God loves us even in the depths of our sinfulness – but even in the Presence of Jesus, he still couldn’t let go of his little god. We suspect he knew this about himself. Why? Because “he went away sad.” Through the Holy Spirit, the love of Jesus had given this rich, young man the self-awareness to recognize the false god that ruled his life; otherwise, he would feel no sadness. He would never forget this encounter, and I’ve always believed he eventually opened his heart to the gift of faith and responded to God’s call.

But what about Zacchaeus? Personally – and I may well be wrong about this, since I never met the man – I’ve always thought Zacchaeus was a control-freak who worshiped the false god of power. I think he treasured his position as chief tax collector, not so much for the money it brought him, but for the power it allowed him to wield over others. The extortion he practiced – and he openly admitted this sin, didn’t he? – was merely a means to demonstrate that power, something the people had no choice but to accept. After all, he worked for the occupying Romans. In effect, their power became his power.

But now, overcome by repentance, he gave himself a penance. He would give much of his wealth to the poor; but perhaps more importantly, he would pay back, with exorbitant interest, all that he had extorted. Just consider how humbling that would have been for him, had the Holy Spirit not entered his heart.

Jesus encounters two men who respond very differently to His life-changing call. And, in truth, today’s men and women are no different. Let me tell you a true story about a modern-day rich man, who was worth nearly $300 million. He made his millions before he was 40 and gave it all away before he was 45.

He grew up in a family of modest means, but early in life came to consider wealth the key to happiness. Intelligent, clever, ambitious, and determined, he worked hard and earned scholarships for college and graduate school. Armed with his engineering and business degrees, he went to work for a large corporation to learn the business of business. When he had absorbed all they could teach him, he left to start his own company. Within ten years he was a multimillionaire.

Life seemed perfect, but then his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Despite the best medical care, she lost the battle and died the day before Thanksgiving. She was only 39. He was devastated, and couldn’t come to grips with the fact that, despite his wealth, he had been unable to save her. Now alone – they had no children – he did the only thing he could do. He focused completely on expanding his business.

Like many businesses, his company supported a number of charities, among them a local soup kitchen. One November day, a few years after his wife’s death, his VP of human resources suggested he make an appearance at the soup kitchen on Thanksgiving Day:

“I know this is always a difficult time for you, but I think it would be good for you and our employees. Quite a few actually volunteer there, so it’d be a nice morale booster. If you’d just stop by and maybe help out for an hour or so…you know, serve a few meals. We’ll get some photos for the local paper. It’ll be good PR for the company.”  

Reluctantly, he agreed. When he arrived, he chatted and joked with the volunteers, particularly his employees, posed for a few photos, and served a meal or two. But just as he was leaving, a homeless man approached him and said, “I’ll bet you’re rich. You are, aren’t you?”

Taken aback, he simply said, “Pardon me?”

“Yeah, I thought so. I knew you were rich because you didn’t stay long and never said a word to any of us.” The old man chuckled and added, “You know what happens to rich men, don’t you?” The old man didn’t wait for an answer, “Oh, most of them go straight to hell.”

By now, he was sure the man was crazy, but felt compelled to defend himself. “Now, wait a minute. I worked hard for everything I have. No one gave me anything. And my company supports many charities, including this one that fed you today.”

This brought a smile and a response. “You’re wrong. You didn’t earn your money. Someone gave it to you, every cent of it, just like He gave me this meal. And He can take it all away, just like He took away your wife. It all comes from God.” He then turned away and walked out the door into the street.

Unable to forget these words, and wondering how this man had seen into his heart, our millionaire returned to the soup kitchen every Saturday. He’d spend the day washing dishes and mopping the floor, but never again saw that old man.

One Saturday he asked one of the Capuchin friars who ran the kitchen if the homeless man were correct. “Do rich men all go to hell?”

The friar shrugged and said, “Good question, but we don’t tell God how to judge folks. I will say this, though. It’s truly difficult to strike a balance between wealth and all that comes with it and the true Christian life to which we’re called. My family was pretty wealthy, and I knew I could never do it.” He laughed and added, “That’s why I’m a friar.”

The following Monday this rich man began the surprisingly complicated process of making himself poor. It took almost a year to accomplish in a way that protected the company and its employees. All he had left were a suitcase of clothes, his jeep, a few books, and $5,000. Unburdened he headed to the Southwest, looking for a desert. And that’s where he found the Indian mission where he’s been ever since. He lives in a small mobile home and teaches and mentors young Native Americans. He lives a full and happy life. When I last heard from him, he said, “I live the life of a child, full of awe and wonder and trust.”

Brothers and sisters, this is what Jesus was telling the disciples in our two Gospel passages. He heard them arguing among themselves about who was the greatest and, like the friar and the old man at the soup kitchen, Jesus had to explain what the Christian life is really all about: the first must be the last and the servant of all. Our true being looks out at the world, not with criticism or as competition, but with wonder and awe, just as a child does. And it doesn’t look down on others, but up towards God with wordless trust.

Can the wealthy achieve salvation? Well, if “All things are possible for God,” the answer obviously is yes. But I expect it’s a challenge…not for God, but for the wealthy. Wealth, like power and fame, tend to become addictive and open to great misuse. It’s not easy to accept that all the things of this world and all that comes with them belong not to you and me but to God.

Jesus blesses the “poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [Mt 5:3]. I suppose that’s the key we’re looking for. Can we accept that we really own nothing? If, like Job, everything you have – family, possessions, wealth, health -- were taken away, would you still be happy, still consider yourself blessed by God? Our former millionaire believed he could not achieve spiritual poverty without first becoming materially poor. What about you and me? Are we truly poor in spirit? Do we look to our God with childlike humility, “full of awe and wonder and trust?” I still struggle with my answer.

True greatness comes not from worldly accomplishments or from wealth or fame…no, true greatness comes from humility; and as that homeless man reminded us, the righteous one knows that all good comes from the mercy and love of God. The Psalmist, who long ago understood all this, probably put it best:

Cast your care upon the LORD, who will give you support. He will never allow the righteous to stumble [Ps 55:23].

If such greatness, the greatness of humility, isn’t recognized or appreciated by others…well, so be it. For the genuinely great person lives and acts not for his own glory, but for the glory of God. And once again the Psalmist comes to our aid:

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to thy name give glory…[Ps 115:1]

The Latin words from the hymn are probably even more memorable:

Non nobis, Domine, no nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam [Ps 115:1].

This is the true Christian life, brothers and sisters. Some of you may remember that remarkable and moving post-battle scene from the movie version of Shakespeare's Henry V. Celebrating the victory at Agincourt, the English soldiers attribute it all to God and sing those beautiful words of the Psalmist. Here's a link to a version worth listening to:

Non nobis, Domine...

To be blunt, whether we are rich or poor, unless we live this true Christian life here on earth, unless we can accept the spiritual poverty to which God calls us, we won’t share in the Divine Life for eternity. How we achieve this acceptance is something we must work out for ourselves through prayer and God’s saving grace. It’s a challenge I must face every day, while remaining thankful for God’s mercy.

I suppose this is the closest we will come to having that easy “key” to eternal life the young rich man and many of us seem to be looking for.

 

Bible Study Reflection #25: Welcome the Holy Spirit

I've been a bit slow posting these COVID-driven Bible Study Reflections, so I'll post the two most recent today. I hope they strike a needed chord with at least a few of my regular readers. Stay healthy, folks; but even more important, stay faithful and trust in our loving, merciful God.

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Many years ago, I read an article in which the writer ranked historical events and people, identifying those he believed were most influential. Einstein or Edison? Henry Ford or Henry Aaron? Hitler, Stalin, Roosevelt, or Churchill? Moses, Buddha, Jesus, or Mohammed? Or which events were more important? World War II or the Napoleonic Wars? The invention of the digital computer or the invention of indoor plumbing?

An interesting article, although the writer’s biases were fairly evident. But I suppose, like most of us, he too carries his biases to work. Ironically, perhaps the most biased among us are the secular pundits who claim to have rid themselves of religious bias and therefore belittle the importance of religion in the lives of others. Because they lack religious faith, they dismiss it as an important motivation. The irony is even greater because religious faith, when viewed objectively, has had more impact on human history — for both good and bad — than any other factor.

I recall watching a news show back at the turn of the millennium. The host asked a historian to name the most important people in human history. I don’t remember the historian’s name, but he made a point of calling himself an agnostic. And then he said something surprising, which I've paraphrased here:

As an historian, I’d have to say the most influential person in human history is Jesus Christ. The problem is, I can't understand how he came to be so influential. He was really a nobody, tucked away in a little corner of the world. He didn't write anything. He didn't go anywhere or do anything very important. He was executed for treason. And his followers? Just a handful of simple peasants. He should have been forgotten in a matter of days or weeks. It's truly inexplicable. But that's history.

Yes, Mr. Historian, that is history. And this history, viewed from the perspective of the Church's teachings, becomes very explainable. You see, the three most influential events in the history of humanity all centered on the person of Jesus Christ, and these events all took place within eight weeks of each other. Another thing they have in common: they were actions, taken not by men, but by God Himself. These events are true history — perhaps we should say, His Story — the story of the Creator of all doing the most remarkable things in an almost unbelievable, inexplicable way.

The Incarnation is the story of a loving Father sending His Son to suffer and die at the hands of those He created as a perfect offering for their sins. Our historian was at least partially right: Jesus Christ is inexplicable, until we plumb the depths of God's Love for us. His Story doesn't end on the cross at Calvary, which is the first of those three events. If it had, our historian's instincts would have been correct, and Jesus would have been, at most, a mere footnote.

But the Father wasn’t content to let it end there. He wanted us to know and to accept the truth. And so, three days later, the second event occurred. Jesus rose from the dead to prove His Divinity and to give a foretaste of what awaits those who love Him and keep His commandments.

But even the Resurrection, this momentous event, was insufficient. For the Father wants His Truth, and the knowledge of His infinite Love, to spread to the ends of the earth. His Son’s sacrificial death wasn’t just for a handful of followers, and not just for the Jewish people, His Chosen Ones, who for centuries preserved His Law. No, this act of redemption was for all of humanity, for every person is a child of God.

We, therefore, celebrate this third event, a relatively brief event in the history of salvation, but an event of such impact that it altered the very history of the world, permanently and profoundly. For what took place in Jerusalem on a Sunday morning almost 2,000 years ago is God's lasting gift to His children.

In his Gospel, St. John offers a glimpse of the effects of this special day:

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.” He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified [Jn 7:37-39].

The Father had sent His Son to suffer and die as a redemptive sacrifice, to free us from the slavery of sin and death and to give us the hope of eternal life. Now He sends His Holy Spirit, the giver of life, the personification of the Divine Love between Father and Son. And what power the Spirit has! Suddenly, 120 men and women, this fearful little band of followers, are transformed.

If someone’s never been afraid – really afraid, afraid he might suffer a violent death at any moment -- the fear that those who’ve survived combat know all too well -- then he probably doesn’t know how the disciples felt that day. They’d witnessed what had happened to Jesus, and they feared it might well happen to them. But as they gathered in prayer around our Blessed Mother in the upper room, the mighty breath of God and the fire of the Spirit’s presence engulfed them, changing them forever.

The Holy Spirit manifested within them the new, eternal covenant with God, the covenant Jesus instituted at the Last Supper. In doing so the Spirit formed them into the Church through which they would bring God's message of salvation to the world. How had Jesus put it just ten days earlier?

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always until the close of the age" [Mt 28:19-20].

Now, for the first time, they began to understand what this mission entailed. And just as suddenly, all of Jesus' teachings, all of His promises, the words of the Word of God that had seemed so cryptic, became perfectly clear. Inspired by the Spirit with this new understanding and overflowing with enthusiasm for the mission He’d given them, they poured into the crowded streets of Jerusalem to share the Good News.

But the Holy Spirit had only just begun, and from those 120 disciples, He called one in particular to lead the way, one already chosen by Jesus. For in the second chapter of Acts, it’s Peter, the fisherman – full of bluster and human weakness, the man who’d betrayed his Lord in those final hours -- who now leads the way. Peter, then, the Rock upon whom Jesus promised to build His Church, is confirmed by the Spirit as the first Vicar of Christ on earth.

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it [Mt 16:18].

On that first Pentecost Sunday, the Church is born.

What happened that first day? Turn to the Acts of the Apostles and once again read chapters two through five and relive the wondrous events of those first exhilarating days of the Church founded by Jesus Christ. Listen again to the words of a now-inspired Peter who called all who heard him to repentance, Baptism, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Miracle followed miracle, and as St. Luke tells us:

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day...And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved [Acts 2,41,47].

Yes, indeed, the work of the Spirit can’t be stopped. Peter, the street-preacher, tells his impromptu audience of Jews, a gathering from every corner of the Roman Empire and beyond, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He recalls the words of the prophets Isaiah and Joel [See Is:2:2,44:3 and Jl 3:1-5]:

It will come to pass in the last days that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams [Acts 2:17].

Peter was preaching to a congregation of Jews, pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem from a dozen different lands to celebrate the Jewish feast of Pentecost. And as Pope Benedict XVI, in his wonderful, little book, Called to Communion, explains, on that first day, the truly Catholic Church was born:

“What first exists in one Church, the Church that speaks in all tongues – the ecclesia universalis [the catholic church]; she then generates Church in the most diverse locales, which nevertheless are all embodiments of the one and only Church” [Called to Communion, p 44].

We must never forget, as so many have, that the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, brought into being that day so long ago, remains with us today, still guided by the Holy Spirit, still led by Christ's Vicar, still committed to the Apostolic mission of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. Just ten days earlier, Jesus had given His “Great Commission” to his nascent Church:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age [Mt 28:19-20].

But this mission isn’t something reserved solely to the successors of the Apostles, to the Holy Father and the bishops. No, this mission, this command of Jesus, is universal and intended for each one of us. This is our challenge as Catholic Christians. Jesus didn’t place limitations on His commissioning of the Church. We are all called to carry out the Church’s primary mission, that of evangelization.

Why this mission? Just look around you. It’s in all our lives: the sadness and hopelessness and sinfulness that plague so many today. These are God's children. They don’t need our condemnation or pity; they need evangelization, for the Father wants to bring them to Himself, and He calls each of us to take part in His work.

Does this call, this mission, frighten you? Do you resist because, deep down you are terrified of the idea of evangelizing others? You shouldn’t be. Just like Peter and the disciples on that first Pentecost, you won’t be alone. You see, we can’t do God’s work without the Spirit. St. Paul put it beautifully

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings [Rom 8:26].

And as Paul reminded the Corinthians sometime later

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit [1 Cor 12:4-7].

Do you see what Paul is telling us? We have the same mission, even though we carry it out in different ways. And it’s the Holy Spirit who inspires and guides each of us.

This first Pentecost reminds us that we need to be roused from the comfort and safety and solitude of our own upper rooms. It reminds us that we need to be amazed — that our faith should be accompanied by the sound of wind, the heat of flames, the cacophony of different voices, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the mighty acts of God.

Peter and the Holy Spirit remind us that we all have a mission in and to the world, a world that waits just beyond our parish walls:

a world plagued by sinfulness;

a world often confused, divided, and afraid;

a world calling us to look outward as well as inward;

a world waiting to be astounded by the mighty acts of God and by a message of hope, the Good News of Jesus Christ, a message He proclaims through us, just as He did through the Apostles.

Brothers and sisters, this mission isn’t an option, something we’re simply encouraged to do. It’s a command from God Himself, an essential element of our lives as Catholic Christians.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with finding comfort in the midst of our family or parish community. Just don’t get too comfortable, for on Pentecost God took the disciples by the hand and turned their little circle inside out. Suddenly they faced not each other, but a world waiting to hear the Good News.

Yes, this can be a frightening thing. But remember, when we carry God’s love and truth to others, we will never be alone. For that’s God’s promise: the Holy Spirit will be with us, guiding us, his wisdom flowing through us. We need only invite Him into our lives.

How did Jesus put it in today’s Gospel?

“Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me” [Jn 7:38 – See also Is:12:3; Ez 47:1].

Welcome the Spirit into your life, and through you He will renew the face of the earth. Do it today and see the wonders He will bring about.

1984 and Today?

Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Michigan, is one of a small number of institutions of higher education in this country that reject the prevailing political correctness and are actually devoted to seeking the truth. Among Hillsdale’s publications is Imprimus, a free monthly “dedicated to educating citizens and promoting civil and religious liberty by covering cultural, economic, political, and educational issues.” It accomplishes this by reprinting major speeches by a wide variety of contributors. The latest issue — it arrived in yesterday’s mail — offers us a wonderful speech delivered on November 17 by Hillsdale’s President, Larry P. Arnn. Entitled “Orwell’s 1984 and Today,” Dr. Arnn’s speech makes what should be obvious connections between Orwell’s depiction of a totalitarian society and what is taking place today in the United States. I first read 1984 back in 1961 when I was in high school, but should probably reread it now so I can measure Orwell’s frightening vision against my lifetime of experience. A Kindle version will be downloaded today.

Please take the time to read Dr. Arnn’s speech and then share it with those generations, our children and grandchildren, whose education has likely deprived them of the truth about our nation, its origins, and the urgency of the crisis we face today. Here’s a direct link to the speech: Orwell’s 1984 and Today. And while you’re at it, sign up for a free subscription to Imprimus and then, if you are able, send them a few bucks to help cover their costs.