(Was a) Deacon's Blog

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.

Who or what is God? How do we define Him? How do we get our minds around a being who is not a being, a power that is not power, a magnificence that is not magnificence.

What I mean is this, how can mere words explain something that is completely foreign and other to us.

Theologians have tried to explain and define God. They have tackled the problems of God —“ putting God on the analyst’s couch. If you were to delve into theologian’s explanations for God you would be just as confounded as if you were to delve into theoretical mathematics.

The point is that God can only be approached through faith. Study is important, but it will not answer the essential questions of: Who is God and who am I in relation to Him?

What we can know of God is in His self revelation, through scripture, through the revelation of His Son, and through His legacy —“ the Holy Church.

gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.

John makes it even simpler:

God is love.

That is what we must preach.

Brothers and sisters,

Tonight we enter into Lent. We enter into a special time, a time of travel into the depths of our own lives, a time of reflection, and a time to pass through the curtain —“ deep into the mystery of God.

We cannot enter into this mystery through analysis, of God, or of ourselves, but only through total commitment in love.

That commitment means making love our own, making the cross our own.

Bishop Hodur quoted from The Realm of God, a book by L.E. Bennet, in a speech he gave:

The Kingdom of God comes not with observation; it does not promise to renew the earth in a day; silently but deeply it enters the souls of men; in a still moment when all the world is hushed, in a quiet atmosphere of a church, in the devoted life of the confessors of the religion of Christ

Passing into the mystery of God is passing into the mystery of true and pure love, love that gives us the life we have always desired, but cannot reach on our own. It is the silent and deep entry of God into us because He desires it and because we accept and allow it. We become enveloped in the mystery of love which drives out all else, perfecting our lives.

What does this love drive out?

It drives out hopelessness because:

Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ

We bear Christ to the world by our accepted name —“ Christian – and through that name we drive out hopelessness.

It drives out darkness because we see the only light that matters.

Do financial problems, marital problems, business problems, or interpersonal squabbles matter? Do personal opinions as to who should do this and who should do that count for anything? Does our rendering of judgment on others make one iota of difference in getting us deeper into the mystery of God?

No, because all else is driven out by love.

Take the ashes you are to receive and ponder them. Does anything else matter if we are joined in love to Christ —“ and His body among whom we sit. All that matters is that we act together in accord, in love, not counting the cost, not counting the sacrifice.

And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.

Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings,
who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.

Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters

This Sunday is a Sunday of contrasts. Throughout the readings, psalm, and Gospel the contrasts between those who walk with the Lord and those who walk apart are made very clear.

Blessed are you who are this. Woe to you who are that.

God knows what He’s doing. He created us and fully understands that we are faced with a life full of contrasts, contrasts that range from days of warmth, not too long ago, to blizzards. We are faced with a life of choices, choices in our marriages, our jobs, our families, our ministry, and our personal moments.

The prophets, speaking for God, and Jesus —“ God Himself —“ tell us that all the choices, all the contrasts lead either to a walk with God, or a walk alone.

While the choice to follow Jesus ultimately falls to us, we must also remember Jesus’ words:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.

In other words, Jesus has called us and chosen us. For our part we are called to believe and believe in full. We must have faith in full, otherwise that faith, the very time we spend here is, as Paul says, in vain.

Our part in the choice is clear, and the Church is here to help us in our choosing. The Church is here, not for the purpose of condemnation, but for the purpose of light, light that will move us from the act of choosing and cooperating to the full realization of God’s kingdom.

Bishop Hodur, who we honor this week on the 54th anniversary of his entry onto eternal life, understood that we have to make those choices.

Bishop Hodur’s faith, learning, and experiences brought him to the realization that the Catholic Church must proclaim not only the choice, but the fact that choice for God is compelling. He wanted us to understand that that compelling choice leads to a life that is fuller, richer, and more joyful. Because of our choosing and cooperation our work is better, our athletic abilities are enhanced, our marriages are stronger, and our communities are improved. Every aspect of life is touched by our choosing.

Bishop Hodur desired that the Catholic Church be known as what it is, namely the Church of ultimate hope and joy; the Catholic Church which proclaims the fact that man is regenerated in Christ Jesus. He understood the Catholic Church as the one that proclaims God’s light, and the positive affect sharing in God’s life has in our world.

For us this means that the Church we follow does not preach hellfire, but rather our need to cooperate in our salvation. The Church we follow does not put an end to God’s grace at death, but proclaims that God’s love, grace, and mercy are eternal. The Church we follow tells us to come to communion from where we are, so that by God’s grace we may be changed.

Do not stand apart. Choose to join with us, and do what Jesus asked:

Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.

The Church we follow tells us that we must not be dismal and sad, looking like sin has won. We must come in joy, knowing that our choice for Jesus has won us eternal life. It has won us a likeness to Jesus of Whom Paul says:

Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For us it comes down to choices.

Will we be hungry or full, thirsty or quenched, poor or rich, sorrowful or joyful, persecuted and derided or spoken well of? Certainly! Will we be those things and sin because of them? Certainly! Will we try to be what Jesus asks, yet fall short of the mark Jesus set? Again, certainly! Will we be able to enumerate every sinful moment and choice in our marriages, our jobs, our families, and our personal moments? Yes!

And through it all, no matter the level of guilt, poor self-esteem, self-loathing, temptation, and sorrow —“ we must be joyful for the good news is that we will be blessed, on account of our choice for the Son of Man.