Daily Postings

One of the important things I learned in my traveling around the world speaking about Jesus, is how few people, even educated Christians really know what Jesus is all about.  When I see people walking away from their Christian faith I feel so sad, because they really don’t understand what they are walking away from.

I have spent my whole life as a priest trying to understand Jesus, and learning all I could about him from my prayer life, from books, from seeing during fifty-six years of counseling how God works in people’s lives, and from thousands of little glimpses of the mystery of God’s involvement in human life.  After all of these experiences I understand how beautiful Jesus is, and also how little I still know about him.

One day in North Palm Beach, Florida I gave a talk about Jesus, starting at 9:00 o’clock in the morning.  After my talk I was asked by a highly educated man, an engineer who designed and built nuclear power plants, if I would continue talking about Jesus.  After a little break I started again, and after that talk, I was again asked to continue, and again and again.  By 4:00 o’clock I was so tired I could hardly stand up.  The people knew they would probably never see me again, so they set up contraption for me to continue standing, and begged me to continue.  How could I not accommodate them?  And these people were very well educated retired people.  

Finally, I finished and so many people afterwards told me they had never realized how beautiful Jesus was and how intellectually stimulating and solid were his teachings, and how understanding and compassionate He is of us weak human beings.  They told me that it was what they had been craving all their life and never found it until that day, and that it was Jesus, that they craved and the intimate relationship we can have with him.  It brings such peace and meaning to our lives. 

People don’t realize what Jesus is all about.  It is not just pious religious talk.  It has to do with the deepest needs and cravings of every human being. Only in Him will we find what our souls crave.  Nothing on earth, no material wealth, no earthly power, no humanly founded spiritual organization, no human mystical religion or philosophy, no psychological religion or program, can give to the human soul what we need, and which Jesus offers to us for free.  And He knows what we need because He made us.  And what we need is intimacy with Him.

In happy times we bask in the sunshine of God’s goodness.  In difficult and painful times and in times of tragedy we grow.

Krista Tibbett was interviewing Xavier Le Pichon this morning on Speaking of Faith.  He talked about his family being in a Japanese concentration camp in what is present day Vietnam.  The conditions were brutal and the suffering devastating, but their mother’s strong faith gave them strength.  The suffering forced the young man to think deeply about life and one day while standing on the shore of the ocean, he was thinking about the ocean’s depths, and what was it under the ocean that caused the earth to shake every now and then.  This lead him to think that there must be stone plates that move and cause violent disturbances. 

He later became a geophysicist, and spent a good part of his life studying and pioneering the idea of tectonic plates under the ocean, and being a deeply spiritual person, he saw a profound relationship between human beings and the rest of nature, and that we all evolve together.  There are tectonic plate experiences in our lives as well, and the movement of these plates cause us at times great suffering, which bring about changes that can alter our whole life and make way for wonderful things to take place within us that bring forth new strengths and new experiences that make great strides in personal growth.  It is God’s way of allowing His creation to move and evolve on its own, and yet still watches over us an gently guides us all.

Some may wonder why I write so much about what happens in our country and in other countries.  That is a good question.  In fact, I would like to ignore what is on the news, and I even considered never again watching the news, because it is so depressing.  Then, I thought that as a human, as a Christian, and especially as a priest, I should be concerned with what happens to people.  They are God’s children, and especially as a priest, as a religious leader and as a well-known author, I have a responsibility to be aware of what is happening to people, and to make statements about issues that affect people’s lives, especially when they are being brutalized or deprived of what God has given to all of us as a heritage from Him.  We all have a responsibility to help others in their struggle for freedom and their struggle against tyranny and torture and brutality no matter who are the perpetrators.  When I write my messages, I do not write from any political viewpoint.  I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I have been an Independent as long as I can remember, and when I realize the propaganda that both political parties dish out, I am too proud to fall for their garbage, and mouth it to others as truth.  I have little respect for people who do that, and I resent it when my friends send me forwards containing such rubbish.  I do my own research, and track down sources that are reliable for their integrity and accuracy, and then I draw my own conclusions as to what are the facts of an issue.  Only then will I even consider issuing a statement on the matter, if I think it is important enough.

The death of Michael Jackson has touched the hearts of many around the world.  He had given so much of himself, his genius, his talents, his music, his caring.  His life reminds me of a candle that burns itself out in shedding light and joy on the lives of others.  May our compassionate God reward him for his goodness and be merciful to him for his weaknesses.  Our prayers for him will deepen his joy in heaven, knowing that we appreciate him in a way that is now important to him.

One day Jesus was invited to dinner by the chief Pharisee in town.  No sooner had the dinner started when a woman came barging into the dining room.  She happened to be a well-known prostitute.  She went over to Jesus and fell down at his side as he was reclining at the low-lying table common at the time.  Crying, her tears fell on his feet, which she wiped with her hair, then anointed with perfumed oil. 

The Pharisees were shocked and Simon, the host, was thinking, “How does he know her?” and was wondering about their relationship.  Jesus, knowing his host’s thoughts, said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”  “Say it, Rabbi.”

“It is the custom for the host to greet guests with a kiss as they enter.  You did that for all the other guests, but did not do it to me.  It is also the custom for the host to provide a bowl of water for the guests to wash the dust off their feet, and you did it for all the other guests but you took it away when I entered.  And it is also the custom for the host to provide a jar of perfumed oil for the guests when they enter, which you did for all the other guests, but you took it away when I came in.  So, I pose this little problem to you, Simon. There was a very wealthy man who loaned out a large amount of money to two men.  To one he loaned a million dollars, to the other he loaned a mere five hundred.  Neither could pay him back, so he forgave both of them.  Which one do you think would love him the more?”

“The one he forgave the more,” Simon replied.

“Yes, Simon, and I tell you, this woman, as many as her sins are, they are forgiven because she loves much.”

People don’t realize it, but in that simple story, Jesus is giving us the theological reason we need to love ourselves, and have a healthy image of ourselves.  God knows we are all weak and have many problems and shortcomings.  It is the way He made us.  He did not intend to make us little gods.  He created us just to do a little job and gave us just what we need to do that little job.  The rest of our personalities are imperfect and defective.  It doesn’t bother God.  He loves us as He made us.  But we tear ourselves apart because of all the faults we notice in ourselves.  And we wonder if even God can love us.  What Jesus is saying about that woman is that unbeknownst to the others, that woman had a lot of caring in her heart, an in a quiet, unobtrusive way, she reached out to those in the neighborhood who were in need and helped them.  So, Jesus could say, “This woman, as many as her sins are, they are forgiven because she loves much.”  And what He is also saying is that, because of her love, the bond of love between herself and God is not broken.  And that applies to ourselves as well.  God knows we are imperfect, but as long as we are reaching out to those in need, our own sins, as many as they may be, are forgiven, because we care for those in need.  And since God loves us we can feel we can love ourselves and can accept ourselves humbly while still struggling to be better.

Don’t be afraid to dream!  Dream about what you would like to do, or what you would like to be, or what you would like to accomplish with your life. And don’t be afraid to ask God to guide you.  He made you and He knows what He would like you to do, but he doesn’t command, he knows how He made you, and He knows the kind of gifts He gave you, and He would like you to ask His guidance so He can put into operation all your talents.  One thing is certain; you can make a change in this world, maybe in a small way when you start out, but in a big way as you continue in your dream.  If you don’t give up, you can change the world.  The world needs dreamers because only dreamers can save it.  Don’t be afraid to be a dreamer.

This is really patriotism season, and already where I am there are flags and fireworks out already.  I bumped into a neighbor who was putting up a flag on the side of his house, and he commented, “You priests are lucky; you don’t pay taxes.”  I was taken aback for two reasons.  I said to him, “What do you mean priests don’t pay taxes? I paid taxes all my life.  When I used to receive million dollar advances from my publisher, I paid $250,000 to $300,000 in taxes some years.”

“Are you kidding?  That’s stupid.  You should have figured out some way of avoiding them, there are so many loopholes.  There are a lot of ways of avoiding taxes?”

“I didn’t mind it,” I said, “I didn’t need that much money anyway.  I think paying taxes is important, and I don’t mind doing my share.  I don’t always pay that much.  Sometimes it’s a lot less.”

But, his attitude troubled me, and I feel guilty for judging him, but I wondered what kind of patriotism is that, to put up a flag and try to avoid paying taxes. And I spent the rest of the day thinking about a batch of allied issues, until the thought finally struck me, “If nobody wants to pay taxes, and politicians are to cowardly to raise taxes, and the government funds only the defense budget, while abolishing programs for the poor, and all entitlements, as they call them, except for entitlements to big corporations, and to the huge multimillion acre farms owned by conglomerates, how will our country avoid being any different than North Korea or China or Russia, or countries where a few super rich families run the countries, and have all the wealth, and the rest of the people live in shameful poverty like slaves and go to bed hungry every night?”

Patriotism has its responsibilities and is more than just putting out flags and watching parades and singing songs, and putting stickers on the back of trucks, with rifles hanging in the rear window with a sticker “Member of the National Rifle Association.”  Is doing out part to help keep our country strong and assuring that it remains faithful to the highest ideals that we have been so proud of and not let less noble politicians compromise those ideals out of cowardly panic.  I feel bad but I am losing faith in politicians because they seem to be concerned more for their own popularity than for the good of the country and will in time bring down our ideals to protect their own petty interests.  I don’t see many real patriots among them, or genuine statesmen, but just politicians., who do quite well for themselves.

No matter what the vote count in Iran may have been, it will always be suspect.  What stands out clearly and beyond question, however, is that the government in Iran is orchestrating brutality against honorable citizens, proving to decent people around the world that the government and its leaders are the enemy of their own people and deserve to be driven out of power, as brutal and corrupt tyrants. Seeing their thugs beating a five year old child and his mother in the street and shooting a young lady in the head is eloquent proof.  Religious leaders who are behind them are not only traitors to their own people, but a disgrace to God, and should be driven out as well.  

Please pass this simple message as far and wide as possible, and especially into Iran   Those brave patriots willing to die for their freedom deserve and need the support of concerned people around the world.

What is a father?  A father is a man who is strong, not necessarily physically strong, but with a strong mind, strong character, and strong in protecting his family from danger of every kind.  He is also gentle, and sensitive emotionally, and shows respect for the feelings of his wife and children.  He is a man who wants his children to respect him as a father, and honor him because he is honorable, and reflects to them the Father in heaven, so they will first learn about God by seeing godliness reflected in the way their father treats each of them and also their mother.

A father is a man who teaches his children integrity and honesty and goodness, and a love for all God’s creatures, from the simplest to the most awesome.  He is a man who is not only strong, but humble and not easily shaken but others’ arrogance in his presence, showing his children that real character is not shown by confrontation in the face of opposition, but by not caving in to the promises or pressures of those who would attempt to intimidate him.

A father is a man who never bullies, but gently guides his children, not by accusing them of things he suspects they may have done wrong, but by showing them a better way of doing things.  He is a man who above all shows his children their way to God, and the beauty of God’s friendship. 

And he is a husband who treats his wife with unselfish love and tenderness and is her best friend, is always there when she needs him, and is her most intimate companion on life’s journey with God.  And he is, beyond all else, a man who is willing to sacrifice everything , even his life, for his family should that be rquired.  And at the end of life on this earth, he will appear before God together with his wife  as they proudly present their children to their Heavenly Father.