These Things

We continue examining the verse from which we take our name:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Mt. 6:33

This verse is found in those teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. In this section, Jesus is urging his followers to adopt a different priority from that of the world and to recognize that their Heavenly Father cares for them. In context, then, v. 30-33:

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

By 'all these things,' Christ means all the things we need, such as food, drink, and clothing. We can dedicate ourselves to Love, having confidence that God will give us all we need. And there's the rub for many of us: what we need. We need so little, you see, but we want so much. It's the wanting that gets us into trouble, isn't it!

Wanting nice things is certainly not sinful, nor is working hard to acquire them. It's not un-Christian to want a reliable car of recent make or a house that is spacious and comfortable. Why wouldn't we appreciate those things which add convenience and beauty to our lives?

The trick is balancing our desire for material possessions against our desire to serve God. We needn't become hermits, living in a cave and existing on a diet of insects, nor must we forego the ordinary conveniences of modern life - electric lights or air conditioning or a computer or car.

What we must not do, though, is allow those desires to overshadow our commitment to God. If we are blessed financially, commitment to Love demands that we share our resources with those who are less fortunate. Often people feel afraid to be generous in their giving to feed the hungry or clothe the needy, worrying that their generous impulses might wreak havoc on their budget.

Jesus tells us that we needn't worry. God will see to it that that we have what is needed, so we can be generous knowing that we will not be left without enough for ourselves. Earlier in the Sermon, though, Jesus speaks specifically about giving alms to the needy, urging his followers to do so privately. Making the big splash, he teaches us, carries its own reward, but God will reward those who practice their giving in secret. (Mt. 6:1-4)

When we are generous to those in need, we become agents of God's good will. We become a means through which God can bless others. We become God's faithful servant, working to see that God's children are fed and housed and clothed and healed. We become a channel through which God's love can flow not only through us but to us as well.

When we commit to Love, opening our hearts to the compassionate love of Creator, we can follow the generous impulses which come with confidence. God sees into each heart, recognizing the face of Christ mirrored there. As we unite not only our hearts to God's love but our hands to God's work of blessing, we can trust that God will care for our needs even better than we could hope to do.

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Righteousness

I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

We continue examining the verse from which we take our name:

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Mt. 6:33

What does it mean to seek righteousness? The dictionary tells us that being righteous means acting in accord with divine or moral law (Merriam Webster).

Laws we have in abundance. Leviticus is filled with them, many of which we find abhorrent today, such as stoning people for various offenses. From Moses we get the Ten Commandments, which have guided Christians and Jews for centuries.

You may recall the Scribe asking Jesus which was the greatest commandment (Mk. 12:28-34). Jesus responded by giving them two, the Great Commandments which Christ said were the foundation of all the laws and prophecies. The Scribe, who was a scholar of church law similar to today's canon law lawyers and experts, praised Christ's answer, seeing its truth. Jesus answered him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”

We can surmise, then, that the kingdom we seek is comprised not solely of loving God and others. It brings us to the kingdom, but doesn't get us in. The Scribe, who recognized the Law of Love, had only come near to that kingdom. What more, then?

We believe the answer is found in the teaching of Jesus recorded in Matthew, chapter 25:31-46. There, Jesus speaks of the eternal Kingdom of God, the reward promised to the faithful. He instructs the people, explaining how God will divide the faithful who inherit the kingdom from the unfaithful who will not enter it (v. 34-:36): Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ He continues, teaching that we do indeed minister to Him when we reach out to each other.

We take Christ at his word, then, and serve Love by serving others. Whether you call it social justice, righteousness, or simply compassion - we are at our most Christian when we offer help to those who need it.

Cradle Roman Catholics of a certain age may have learned the following Acts of Mercy in school. If you did, this will be a familiar list:

The Corporal Acts of Mercy, those which address the needs of the body, are to

feed the hungry
give drink to the thirsty
clothe the naked
shelter the homeless
visit the sick
ransom the captives
bury the dead.

When our loving obedience to God and compassion to those in need prompts us to reach out through personal service or financial support of those who serve, we believe we, too, are drawing near to the kingdom and righteousness we seek.

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We invite you to join us in praying for the relief of those who have lost so much to natural disasters, particularly those who have been impacted by Hurricane Isaac. Pray with us, too, that this year's hurricane season will see few hurricanes and that they may cause the least harm possible to those in their paths.

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Seeking First

It will come as no surprise to readers to learn that the name of our blog is an allusion to the words of Christ in Matthew, chapter 6: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (v.33)

Scholars debate how best to understand the meaning of 'kingdom' in the teachings of Christ, but for us, one thing is absolutely certain: Whether that kingdom is of the earth or of the heart, now or at the end of times, the sign of that kingdom is Love.

For the Community Catholic Church, then, it is Love we seek first. We find Love in Creator, who is Love itself. We find Love in the center of Christ's teachings. Love is our destination, as union with God/Love, but it is also our path - the means by which we express and experience that union most deeply. So seeking to unite to divine Love and to express that Love is, for us, seeking the Kingdom of which Jesus speaks.

We humans like to exercise our cognitive function. We like to make things more complicated than they are, to focus on a single aspect of a matter and lose the sense of its place in the whole. Creator, however, is different. Creator makes things simple.

Jesus was clear. When asked which was the greatest commandment, he gave us two: Love God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Three thousand years later, we're still trying to figure out what he meant by that. Maybe, just maybe, he meant what he said: Love God completely and love others as you love yourself.

Our understanding is that, whatever the scholars may or may not believe Jesus said or didn't say, the core of Christ's teaching is love. Following those two commandments is the work of a lifetime, particularly in a world where life and love are both cheapened by power and greed.

So, when you read 'Seeking First' each day, we ask you to strive with us to do just that, to seek first how to love through the challenges of our daily life. It seems like such a simple goal, and so easy to offer lipserice to it and stop there. But Christ invites us to commit more fully to creating a kingdom of love in our hearts, our lives, and our communities.

And so, to that end...Seeking First.

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Join us in praying for Louisiana and Mississippi as recovery recovery from the ravages of Isaac begins, particularly for the workers trying to stabilize the Percy Quin dam, and the Philippines dealing with the earthquake aftermath.

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Wisdom

And finally, we come to the end of the Serenity Prayer:  And the wisdom to know the difference.

It's significant that wisdom is the final request of this prayer.  Wisdom is one of the most powerful gifts we can ask of the Holy Spirit.  Wisdom saves us from needless heartache and foolish missteps.  And when it comes to changes we want to experience - or avoid - in our lives, wisdom is a priceless gift.

Knowing which changes lie within our power to create and which do not can be confusing.  I wonder how much time I've wasted over my life trying to make changes that were not mine to make at all.

I am mindful of the woman I spoke of yesterday, trying so hard to make her marriage last when of course she couldn't.  Her husband didn't want to make the change necessary to allow the marriage to continue, so her efforts were doomed to failure.

His attitude toward her and the marriage were not within her control.  She achieved peace only when she changed what was under her control: herself.

How much grief do we experience over things we cannot control?  We hear of a sad story somewhere in the world and grieve, ruining our day.   We observe an act of unfairness and stew over it, simmering with anger and resentment.

Compassion and justice demand that we act, and yet we cannot send the flood back into the sea or force politicians to speak truly and act justly.  Wisdom allows us to find meaningful actions to take and powerful ways to witness so that we can preserve our serenity even as we courageously follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Instead of grieving, we make a donation to whatever agency helps those whose suffering breaks our heart.  Perhaps we do what we can to draw the world's attention to their plight.  We pray, always, for their relief.

When we see injustice, we respond as we are able.  We speak the truth without compromise.  We cry foul again and again.  We join with others to create a powerful witness, refusing to be silenced.  We pray, of course, for justice for all.

When we come to the limit of our power, we let go, trusting that our efforts work for good even when we cannot see it.   And knowing that they do, that even our most apparently-futile efforts bear fruit somehow, some way, is true wisdom.

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Regarding Hurricane Isaac:
We ask that you join us in prayers for the people of Louisiana and Mississippi as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac.  This link will take you to the Red Cross donation page, where you can earmark your donation for Hurricane Isaac relief. 
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Courage

Continuing with the Serenity Prayer, then, we look at the next line:  Courage to change the things I can


Change.  Is there anything we resist more strongly?  Probably most of the people who come to me are motivated by changes in their lives - changes they want to evade, changes they want to implement, changes they fear. Often, the situation they wish to improve has been worsened by their resistance to the changes that are facing them. 

I am reminded of a woman whose husband wanted a divorce.  She fought him every way she could.  She tried to save the marriage, but he was unwilling to do so as he felt he belonged with another woman.  By the time she came to me, she was exhausted mentally and physically.  Her stress level was through the roof.  She was feeling unhappy and hopeless as she posed her question to me: What must she do to save her marriage?

She described her daily life - the fighting, the tears, the simmering resentment of their teenaged child who wanted all of it to be over and was ready for the father to leave. I asked her to consider what would happen if she were unable to prevent the divorce, to picture what her days would be like.

It was an interesting exercise for her, as she'd been so invested in the status quo that she had failed to consider any other way of living.  She considered her child's greater peace and her own as she gave up the fight.  She considered living in a condo or apartment instead of their large, luxurious home.  She considered returning to school to study an area of great interest.  She left with a different perspective, free of the desperation that had prompted her visit.

After prayerful reflection, she agreed to the divorce and received a fair settlement.  When I spoke to her again, a year or two later, she had sold the house, relocated with her child, and had completed a course of study for licensing in a field she enjoyed.  She was far happier than she had been in many years.

I have observed the same thing in my own life - when I embraced a change I initially resisted, I discovered the good it brought to me. Like my friend, I found I was far happier after the admittedly uncomfortable transition than I had been for some time.

It takes courage to embrace the new in our lives because we instinctively fear what is unknown.  We cling to known pain because it is familiar.  We know we can deal with it.  When the new appears on the horizon, we are filled with concern.  Will we be able to handle it?  What if we don't like it?  What if we do?

Yes, what if we DO?  Even small changes contain the seeds of great transformation.  A hobby can reveal a talent that takes us into new territory, and that possibility can give us pause.

But whether we fear failure or success, regardless of how we resist, change comes to us all.  How can we navigate our life's course gracefully?

With grace, of course.  By acknowledging God with us as we journey on, we can find peace as we need move steadily forward. Like all things, change works for good in our lives if we trust God.  When we actively search for the good in the changes that present, fear loses its grip.

Over time, as we invite God into our transitions - not to help us avoid them but to help us understand them - we learn to trust the flow of life.  We learn to live with change, and even though we may never become fully comfortable with it, we can celebrate God's goodness being revealed through the changing landscape of our lives. 
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Continuing with the Serenity Prayer....

Today we take a look at the second line: to accept the things I cannot change. 

The popular philosophies today stress personal power to create and change our lives.  I certainly agree that we have tremendous power to do just that, and yet...there are indeed things we cannot change.

I remember a time, long ago, when I was a member of what we called a ‘spirit-filled’ or ‘charismatic’ prayer group at my church.  Having received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we were taught that our faith could indeed move mountains.  When the mountains remained in place, we were chastised for our lack of faith.  Older and hopefully wiser, I know now that those who chastised us had been poorly taught, but at the time, it was horrifying to be told that had my faith been stronger, this or that person would have received the answer we’d prayed they might. 

Some things we cannot change.  It’s that simple.  The one who doesn’t love us cannot be forced into ardor.  The job we have lost is gone, given to another or eliminated entirely.  The pain we feel is genuine.  The friend or loved one persists in that which we would have them stop doing. We cannot fix the situation, and we cannot demand it change to our satisfaction.

Everything in us wars against such ideas.  We want to jam that square peg into that circular hole by sheer force of will.  We will NOT accept this, we cry in our souls. 

Now we need that serenity the Prayer asks of God, the peace that reminds us that the unhappiness of the moment is just that: the feeling of a moment.  Moments pass, and if we allow it, so does our pain.  How can we achieve this blessed peace? 

Prayer, of course, is one path to peace.  As we pour out our hearts to God or, perhaps even better, simply present ourselves before that loving God in wordless union, peace may come. 

We can live in hope, trusting that good things come to those who wait on the Lord.  We can trust that even in the unhappy moment, God is with us, working for good. 

Perhaps the most radical path to the peace we seek is surrender.  We simply yield.  “Let go, let God,” as the saying goes.  “Thy will be done.” 

It is hard to give over so completely.  Who wants to yield to the will of another, even when that other is God? 

But oh, what blessed relief when we quit fighting a battle we cannot win!  The freedom we gain through surrender has a sweetness all its own, a sweetness we can never know until we finally yield to Power greater than ours.
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A New Day

Just after that last blog post was published, things began moving for the church.  Wonderful things are happening for the Community Catholic Church, but they do take some time and energy to support.  Sadly, this blog had to be set aside to use the time in other ways for the good of the church.  The first major event is behind us, however, so it is time to get back to this blog.

Yesterday was our Synod meeting in which our clergy gather to review the past year.  Spending time with the other CCC clergy is always a great pleasure, and yesterday's Synod was no exception.  Our Synod, however, was only one of the events of the day.

During our opening Mass, con-celebrated  by Archbishop Pat and Archbishop Deb, I was ordained to the holy priesthood.  Following a brief reception, the community met with Bishop Michael Shaw and received him into the church.  To say the church is delighted to welcome Bishop Michael is an understatement.  He is a true man of God, serving Christ in the poor, the sick, and the homeless.

We look forward in the coming months to more happy changes for our church!  In the meantime, please do keep us in your prayers, as you are in ours each day.

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