The Better Angels of Our Nature

The Church calendar provides two occasions to commemorate the work of God’s angels: September 29, the feast of the archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, and October 2, the memorial of our guardian angels.

Unlike the saints, angels do not inspire us by overcoming their own weakness, experience of injustice, or hardness of heart. However, we can still emulate the archangels by seeking to protect others, as Michael did when he stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son; by being bearers of God’s word, as Gabriel did for Zachar-iah, Mary, and Joseph; and by being an instrument of healing, as Raphael was for Tobit and his daughter-in-law, Sarah.

At the conclusion of his first inaugural address on March 4, 1861, Abraham Lincoln referred to “the better angels of our nature.” Although humans are not heavenly beings, we can still muster the compassion to be a protector, the wisdom to share God’s word, and the aptitude to heal others through our skills or our presence. When we have the desire to serve God in these ways, we can always call on the angels to guide us in our quest.

Giving All to the Present

Albert Camus said, “Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” Why should we be concerned about offering generosity toward the future? Well, for one thing, God is already there, and God merits our generosity, because God is the source of all that we are and all that we have. Furthermore, any one of us might die tonight, so if we put off giving all to the present today, we might not have the opportunity to do so tomorrow.

Most of us say that we want to pass on a better world to our children. If that is really the case, we need to act now to live more simply, to teach tolerance and compassion by our actions, and to respond to the gift of life with gratitude. Being our best self now matters, because our actions today will influence what happens tomorrow. When we continually put off dealing with difficult problems or doing things we don’t want to do, we place a burden on the future and those who will live there. Thus, giving our all to the present is a courageous choice even in small matters, such as taking the time to listen and be kind.

Often we never know what effect our actions have on others and how they will shape the future. However, when we commit ourselves to doing the best we can with what we have where we are, we can rest assured that we are extending real generosity toward the future.

Calling On the Timeless In Our Hearts

In times of difficulty we often turn to wisdom that has stood the test of time, and the book of Ecclesiastes certainly applies. Although it was likely written about 300 years before Jesus was born, we still ponder its message: “For everything there is a a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl 3: 1).

Currently we are in the season of the COVID-19 virus, which has led to widespread suffering and death among humans. A great many people are being confronted at the same time with the truth that there is “a time to be born, and a time to die.” Sometimes we can stave off death for a while, but eventually we must all succumb—as do all the stars in the universe, as did Jesus.

Although we cannot alter the inevitability of death, we can alter our experience of it. Occasionally we hear it said, “She had a happy death.” Generally that means that a person had time to heal old wounds, express love and gratitude, and say goodbye to companions, while peacefully relinquishing this life and trusting that new life awaits.

Death sometimes comes unexpectedly, so if we want to ensure that we will have a happy death, we must act now to reconcile with others, develop a grateful spirit, express our love, and learn to entrust our life and death to God. Ironically, preparing for death helps us live more fully and joyfully in the present!

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes says that God has “put the timeless into our hearts.” Even as we face disease and the shortness of our lives, a part of us knows that our current life is not the end and that we will dwell with God forever. Our best response to whatever season we find ourselves in is to walk with each other and help each other remember that God’s love and mercy endure forever.

Reclaiming Our Place of Inner Stillness

Sometimes when I feel jumbled inside I come across a piece of wisdom that helps calm my heart. That happened yesterday when I received an e-mail message from Abbey of the Arts with this quotation by Christine Valtners Paintner:

“When you bring your attention to something in nature, whether a tree or a stone or a creature, and bring yourself fully present to it, you can sense its inner stillness, meeting a place of stillness in your own heart. You can experience how much it rests in the great Being who holds all of us, with no divisions, and in that awareness you discover that place within you as well.”

This quote reminded me that in the comic strip Rose Is Rose, written by Pat Brady, the main character is sometimes pictured leaning against her “Let It Be” tree when she’s feeling overwhelmed.

In these days of political turmoil and catastrophic climate-related events, we all need to identify and spend time with an element of nature that helps us “Let It Be,” whether that is a tree, a pet, a body of water, or another element that fosters inner stillness. When we are distressed it helps to center ourselves in God, in whom there are no divisions.

Being pained and infuriated by the behavior of some people is unavoidable, and we certainly are called to contain and resist their destructive actions. We can take comfort in a vision experienced by Hildegard of Bingen, in which God said, “I am love, which the vast expanses of evil can never still.” Martin Luther King, Jr., showed an understanding of the power of God’s love when he said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

In 1 John 4:20 it is said, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” Similarly, Dorothy Day said, “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” When loving those who act reprehensibly feels impossible, it is time to retreat to nature and reclaim our place of inner stillness where we can remember the invincibility of the love of God, who holds all of us with no divisions.

God's Hiring Practices

In Jesus’ parable about the landowner who sought laborers for his vineyard (Mt 20: 1-16), when the landowner found some people hanging around the marketplace at 5 pm, he asked, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They replied, “Because no one has hired us.” Do you ever wonder why no one had hired them? I suspect that the laborers hired early in the morning were young, strong, and male, whereas those who remained at the end of the day were likely older, female, and perhaps ill. Who would want to hire them?

As it turns out, in the kingdom of heaven, God recognizes that the labor of all people has value, even that of persons who can only work for one hour a day. Furthermore, God gives wages according to each person’s need, not according to how much they produce. This generosity should not produce envy or self-importance, for as St. Benedict says in Chapter 34 of his Rule, “Whoever needs less should thank God and not be distressed, but whoever needs more should feel humble because of his weakness, not self-important because of the kindness shown him. In this way all the members will be at peace.”

What we all need most is to dwell in God’s presence, and that gift is given freely to everyone, regardless of our age, strength, and ability to be productive. Like Abraham Heschel, God obviously believes “Just to be is a blessing; just to live is holy.”

Wisdom of the Ages

It is difficult not to be discouraged when we in the United States feel hemmed in on all sides from wildfires, hurricanes, the COVID-19 virus, and a tense racial and political environment. Now is the time to turn to people who have also lived in difficult times and share their wisdom across the ages.

One such person is Ethan the Ezrahite, who is thought to have written Psalm 89 at the time of David. Charles H. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David says of this psalm, “It is the utterance of a believer, in presence of great national disaster, pleading with his God, urging the grand argument of covenant engagements, and expecting deliverance and help, because of the faithfulness of Jehovah.” Although “troubles were coming thick and heavy upon the dynasty of David,” Ethan proclaims,

“I will sing of your faithful love, O Lord, forever; 
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your fidelity.
How blessed the people who know your praise,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
who find their joy every day in your name,
who make your righteousness their joyful acclaim.”

Like Ethan, we who live in times of trouble can take comfort in God’s faithful love, fidelity, and righteousness and can walk through dark times in the light of God’s face.

We also can draw comfort from the words of St. Hildegard of Bingen, a Benedictine mystic who lived from 1098-1179. In one of her visions, she heard God say, “I, God am in your midst. Whoever knows me can never fall, not in the heights, nor in the depths, nor in the breadths. For I am love, which the vast expanses of evil can never still.”

God is faithful; God is righteous; God is love; and God is in our midst. Of what should we be afraid?

Home Ground

Like all farmers, my paternal grand-parents, my dad, and my aunts and uncles instinctively practiced phenology—the study of plants and animals’ seasonal life cycles. Their observations guided their decisions about when to plant and harvest, when to breed animals and set beaver traps, and when to look for mushrooms and wild berries. They knew the land intimately, respected its rhythms, and worked with it instead of trying to bend it to their will.

Most of us today are too distracted by our many activities to pay attention to the plants and critters around us. However, the pandemic has changed that. Now that we need to stay close to home to safeguard our health and that of others, we have an ideal opportunity to study the plants, animals, and insects that surround us.

Why should we bother? Closely observing our immediate environment helps us stay grounded in the present instead of worrying about what the future will bring. It feeds our wonder about the diversity of life God has created. It sharpens our vision and fosters humility through the reminder that we rely on plants and animals to sustain us with oxygen and food and that we too are subject to the cycle of life, death, and resurrection.

In the book The Color Purple, a character says, “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” I don’t know if our inattention angers God, but I suspect God is sad that we fail to nourish our spirits with the marvels of creation that are literally everywhere around us.

Dispelling Our Resentments

The Gospel reading for mass yesterday (Mt. 18: 21-35) was centered on forgiveness, as a servant received dispensation of a huge debt by his king but then refused to extend the same grace to a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller sum.

I suspect that on a day-to-day basis, most of us aren’t challenged to forgive major offenses relating to betrayal, theft, physical injury, and the like. Rather, we are more often faced with letting go of irritations relating to the thoughtlessness, selfishness, and carelessness of others.

Interestingly, in one of our prayers at mass yesterday, we asked this of God: “Keep alive in us the memory of your mercy, that our angers may be calmed and our resentments dispelled.” How can our resentments be dispelled? I imagined them being blown away like dandelion seeds, but that image didn’t quite work, because then the seeds could take root elsewhere. I thought about our resentments being burned up and dispelled like smoke, but then the particles would still be hanging in the air. Dissolving our resentments like lemon juice in a glass of water doesn’t work either, because the water takes on the bitter flavor of the lemon.

To dispel resentments, it would appear that alchemy is required—that is, “a power or process that changes or transforms something in a mysterious or impressive way.” Mercy is the mysterious, impressive power that transforms our resentment into understanding and compassion—specifically, God’s unfailing mercy for our many offenses and failings. How does God’s mercy achieve this transformation? It makes us grateful, humble, and able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.

It would seem that yesterday’s prayer needs just a little tweaking: “Keep alive in us the memory of your mercy, O God, that our angers may be calmed and our resentments transformed into understanding and compassion.”

Abounding Goodness

About a week ago, Sr. Patricia Seipel collected some of the multitudinous zinnias from the Mount gardens and arranged them in small vases to grace our dining room tables. It was striking how this simple (albeit time consuming) act lifted our spirits.

We don’t know yet what wisdom we will gain from living through the current pandemic, because we are smack dab in the middle of it. However, one thing we already can say with confidence is that small acts of kindness and a focus on our blessings can help us counter the anxiety and negativity generated by this crisis.

Instead of commiserating about the day’s bad news, we can choose to be spreaders of good news that is just as real but often overlooked: Food banks are springing up to assist people who have lost their jobs. Students are attending online classes due to the ingenuity of their teachers. Musicians are forming virtual choirs so people don’t have to risk coming to concert halls. We can see acts of compassion and creativity all around us when our vision is not clouded by negativity.

Goodness still abounds in our world, and we can help it spread by drawing on our own gifts, whether that means entertaining children, writing notes to those who are quarantined, making music, or arranging flowers. As Dorothy Day said, “No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There is too much work to do.”

God's Perfect Mercy

Here is a syllogism for your consideration:

(A) God is perfect (Mt 5:48).

(B) God’s mercy endures forever (Ps 136:1).

Therefore,

(C) God who is perfect does not reject that which is imperfect, and because Jesus calls us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect, neither should we.

Richard Rohr explains it this way: “God’s brightness does not exclude or deny anything. Divine perfection is precisely the ability to include imper-fection, whereas we think we must exclude, deny, and even punish it!”

When viewed in this light, Jesus’ insistence that we not judge makes a great deal of sense. God apparently views flaws as a part of creation that, when acknowledged and for-given, lead to a greater fullness of life. When we instead judge our imperfections and try to ignore or hide them, we cut ourselves off from the mercy and love that God offers us. We also cut other people off from the mercy and acceptance that God can provide through us, because if we can’t accept our own flaws, how can we accept flaws in others?

It is comforting to think that God’s brightness does not exclude or deny anything. We can accept who we are and trust that even our imperfections, and those of others, will mysteriously serve God’s way of love and inclusion. As Sr. Mary Faith Schuster says in her poem Pre-Dawn, God smiles at us and says,

I didn’t make you Me,

an image is all

I had in mind.

I’ll touch up all

authenticity

when you come home.

What It's All About

American jazz musician Sonny Rollins once said, “I’ve got a gift, a musical gift, fine. But I want to be a human being, a good human being…. Everybody can have a gift. That’s a gift. But then we have to be good human beings. So that’s what it’s all about.”

Labor Day offers us the opportunity to be grateful for our gifts and consider how we are using them. Are we too scared or timid to move outside our intimate circle of family and friends and offer our talents to the wider world? Are we willing to follow the lead of Senator John Lewis and “Get in good trouble” by using our voices and our energy to advocate for those treated unjustly? What is keeping us from putting in the hard work to develop and refine our gifts so they can give light and hope to others?

Jesus, a gifted healer and preacher, moved in ever widening circles—even to the land of the despised Samaritans—to bring healing and God’s word to others. He got in “good trouble” by speaking the truth and befriending sinners. He moved tirelessly from community to community, learning how to speak a word to comfort people and heal  their troubled souls. He was endowed with many gifts and used them not for his own profit but to be a good human being.

More than 2000 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, that’s still what it’s all about.

We Are All Teachers

Pope Gregory the Great wrote this about St. Benedict: “He wrote a Rule for monks that is remarkable for its discretion and its clarity of language. Anyone who wishes to know more about his life and character can discover in his Rule exactly what he was like as an abbot, for his life could not have differed from his teaching.”

Although few of us have been an abbot or written a rule, we are all teachers, for our lives teach others what we believe, what we value, and how we expect others to treat us.

• Our acts of kindness and charity teach others that we believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, because he said, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.”

• Our efforts to live lightly on the earth and protect trees, water, air, and soil teach others that we value our common home and the resources we share with all other beings.

• Our refusal to be ignored, taken for granted, or disenfranchised teaches others that we have value and dignity and are worthy of respect, as demonstrated by the Canaanite woman with an ailing daughter who insisted that Jesus respond to her plea for healing (Mt 15: 21-28).

Good teachers periodically re-examine their lesson plans to make sure they are still effective. Just so, we need to review our lives on a regular basis to ensure that they still reflect what we wish to teach others. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” We should not underestimate the power of our actions to teach others about God’s love, generosity, and patience.

Revealing Our True Self

A story is told about Michelango’s encounter with a man at the unveiling of his sculpture David. “How in God’s name could you have achieved a masterpiece like this from a crude slab of marble?” the man asked. “It was easy,” Michelangelo replied. “All I did was chip away everything that didn’t look like David.”

Is this a true story? As Sr. Lillian Harrington used to say, “All stories are true. Some actually happened.” Whether or not it actually happened, this story has something to tell us about how to chip away the stony parts of ourselves that aren’t who we really are to reveal our true self.

As children, we are raised to adopt the values of our families and society. That often means that we want to be wealthy, powerful, successful, attractive, intelligent, entertaining, or famous. Over time, these veneers harden and hide the parts of us that reflect God—our instincts to be kind, compassionate, forgiving, generous, and humble.

Feelings of being overlooked, offended, disrespected, or disliked are generally signs that we need to chip away the parts of ourselves that care about such things, because our true self knows we are loved and have inherent worth because we are children of God.

In this life, we are all sculptors who are given lots of opportunities to chisel away what obscures our life in God. Let’s encourage each other to trust in the beauty and truth that lies within each of us and be vulnerable enough to reveal it. It is what God wants for us, for as St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is a person fully alive.”