Someone Else's Story - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we celebrate the birthday and the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I'm not going to say much.  You all know who he is.  But I wanted to highlight a speech that he gave, just before he died.  This was the last speech that he ever delivered, almost as if he knew that he was going to die.  Maybe he did.  But what is important is the correlation to the story of Moses.  It was recently pointed out to me the ways that he and Moses were alike.  It is eerie how Martin Luther King, Jr. chose to compare this time in history to the end of Moses' life.  Moses, who had led the people so far for so long, didn't ever get to make it into the Promised Land.  And yet, he got to stand on the mountaintop, just before the Israelites entered, and see it.  Martin Luther King, Jr. didn't get to enter his promised land either, but he saw it.  And I believe whole heartedly that, if he had a chance to come back and do it all over again, but live, that he'd take that chance.  Because a life of oppression is not a life at all.

Here is his speech.  Please read the whole thing.  It's a sad speech, and hopeful at the same time.  

I've Been to the Mountaintop

Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy in his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It's always good to have your closest friend and associate say something good about you. And Ralph is the best friend that I have in the world.

I'm delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world.

As you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of general and panoramic view of the whole human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" — I would take my mental flight by Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would move on by Greece, and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality.

But I wouldn't stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and esthetic life of man. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even go by the way that the man for whom I'm named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church in Wittenberg.

But I wouldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating president by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
But I wouldn't stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the twentieth century, I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a away that men, in some strange way, are responding — something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same — "We want to be free."

And another reason that I'm happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we're going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demand didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence.

That is where we are today. And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done, and in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'm just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period, to see what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He's allowed me to be in Memphis.

I can remember, I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world.

And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying that we are God's children. And that we don't have to live like we are forced to live.

Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity.

Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers were on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that.

Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be. And force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: we know it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory.

We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do, I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round." Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denomination, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water.

That couldn't stop us. And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we'd just go on singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, "Take them off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and then we'd get in the jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham.

Now we've got to go on to Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us Monday. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. And so just as I say, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on.

We need all of you. And you know what's beautiful tome, is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor."

And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; but he's still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Rev. Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time will not permit. But I want to thank them all. And I want you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren't concerned about anything but themselves. And I'm always happy to see a relevant ministry.

It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preachers must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do.

Now the other thing we'll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people, individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively, that means all of us together, collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it.

We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles, we don't need any Molotov cocktails, we just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you."
And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right.

But not only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-State Bank—we want a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. So go by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you something we don't do ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We're just telling you to follow what we're doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies in Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an "insurance-in."

Now these are some practical things we can do. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here.
Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point, in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.

Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus; and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters in life. At points, he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew, and through this, throw him off base. Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But with him, administering first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to church meetings—an ecclesiastical gathering—and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony." And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem, or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effort.

But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that these men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as a setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles, or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.

Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you.

You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?"

And I was looking down writing, and I said yes. And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, you drown in your own blood—that's the end of you.

It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states, and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what the letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King: I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." She said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I am a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze."

And I want to say tonight, I want to say that I am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream. And taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, been in Memphis to see the community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze.

And they were telling me, now it doesn't matter now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night."

And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

"Of the Week's"

My Dog and My God

My dog hates it when things touch him.  He doesn't mind if people touch him, but he doesn't like things touching him.  Blankets.  His leash.  A piece of ribbon!  If his leash gets wrapped around his leg, he won't move.  He will literally just freeze where he is until I untangle it.  It's a good think that he's not out in the wild, because someone might not be there to rescue him!  What a weirdo!

Anyway, I was taking my dog for his walk when his leash became tangled between two of his toes.  I don't imagine that this was a painful moment.  He didn't yelp or limp later at all.  But he began trashing about, panicking, and acting like he was about to die.  This panicked movement just made matters worse.  He got it more and more tangled.  He wouldn't sit still long enough for me to do much about it, which just made things even worse.

When things come into our lives that we can't fix ourselves, it is our natural tendency to start flailing about, trying to fix it anyway.  But the Truth is that if we stay calm and let God take care of it, it won't get any worse than it already is.  We just have to take a deep breath, and let Him work.

Bible Verse of the Week 

  My heart is so dirtied sometimes, by pride, hatred, jealousy, fear, disappointment.  This verse is what I pray to help me get rid of those toxins, and replace them with nutrients.

"A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit" - Psalm 51:12 (according to the NAB, but is Psalm 51:10 in the NIV translation)

Saint Quote of the Week:   

The word freedom relates to different people in different ways, but there is only one definition.  And this is it:

"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." -Venerable John Paul I

Prayer of the Week:  

O God our Creator,
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
Bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
To every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
In our vigilence for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
To readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
Give us courage in making our voices heard
On behalf of the rights of your Church
And the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
A clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
Gathered in Your Church
In this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
So that, with every trial withstood
And every danger overcome -
For the sake of our children, or grandchildren,
And all who come after us - 
This great land will always be
"One nation, under God,
Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen             

Video of the Week:  

Since this week we are praying for Vocations, I thought that it would be good to post this video that is an advertisement for the Priesthood.  This video is cool, and it inspired me, even though I cannot (nor do I think I should be able to) become a priest.  This video shows the joy and the awesomeness (yep, I said awesomeness) of the priesthood, and it makes me really appreciative of what we've got!  So I encourage you all to watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FbL7eFJGdQ

Revelation Chapter 1

As I mentioned previously, it is with great fear that I began reading the Book of Revelation.  What is interesting to me, though, is that my fears were addressed and eliminated in the words of the prologue:  "Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near."  Now, I may not be reading aloud in a literal sense, but I am publicly sharing this book of scripture.  I feel like those words gave me God's stamp of approval!

Please remember, as I write, that I am new to this book.  I will probably leave out a lot of important information.  Please don't yell and scream at me if there's more I could have said.  I'm sure there is more that I could have said.  Entire books, much longer than the actual Book of Revelation, have been published on the Book of Revelation.  My purpose is not to open up every minute detail of this work.  My purpose is to help you (and me) to begin to read, remember, and appreciate it.  

It's amazing how familiar I already am with this book.  It seems that a lot of the Mass comes from this book.  Does that mean what I think it means?  That when John was given this Revelation, that he was really just seeing the Mass?  Someone told me that before, but because I hadn't read the book, I didn't know it was true!  Sure enough, it is!

How do we know?  Well, let's look just at this first chapter!  I mean, where do you see a priest on Sunday (the Lord's Day), with readings of scripture, and explanation of those readings, and prayers, and choirs of angels and Saints praying along, with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and blessings?  Mass, you say?  Funny, I was going to say the Book of Revelation.  

This book begins with John saying that he was sent to Patmos essentially because he had been evangelizing too much.  Banishment to remote islands such as Patmos would be a clear way to solve the problem of evangelization, you'd think.  Unless, of course, the God who that person is preaching about is real.  Then there's pretty much nothing you can do to stop it.  After all, they sent John to Patmos to shut him up.  What they didn't expect was that John would be given a Revelation from God, which he would write down, send around the world, and that work would later be included in the Canon of Scripture, which would help to evangelize the world for at least 2,000 more years!  And, we know that it'll continue on for much longer, still!  So much for shutting him up!  The Mass the we celebrate, some of the prayers we are most familiar with, are all a result of the work that was done while John was "being prevented" from preaching.  Try to stop God.  I dare you.  This is what happens when you do!

He is taken up into heaven and is told to write down all that he sees, send it to the seven churches in Asia.  When John turns to see who is talking to him, he sees Jesus, looking unique, standing among seven lampstands, and holding seven stars in his right hand.  He falls down on his face, as if dead, but Jesus tells him that He will explain it all to John.  He says that the seven lampstands are the seven churches in Asia, and the seven stars are the angels who are to protect those Churches.  I think that it's kind of cool that each church has its own angel.  It's kind of a comforting thought. 

What does this have to do with the Mass?

It begins with the dealing of these scrolls, where the word of God is being read aloud to communities.  This, of course, is mirrored directly in the Mass. Jesus explains the meaning of these things, similarly to the way the priest does in his homily.

"Lift up your hearts."  

"We lift them up to the Lord."

Have you ever wondered, where we are lifting our hearts to when, at Mass, we respond to the priests request that we "lift up your hearts," and we respond, "We lift them up to the Lord?"  The Book of Revelation has your answer.  You are lifting your heart to Heaven.  You are literally exiting the Earth we live on, and entering Heaven.  So next time you are at Mass, and the priest says, "Lift up your hearts," and you respond, "We lift them up to the Lord," remember that you are doing exactly what John does in this very chapter.  He was "caught up in spirit," just as we are at that moment, when we lift our hearts from the Earth, to Heaven.  It reminds me of Saint Cyril of Alexandria's catechetical lectures, when he says, "The priest cries out: 'Lift up your hearts!'  For in this most solemn hour it is necessary for us to have our hearts raised up with God, and not be fixed below, on the earth and earthly things.  It is as if the priest instructs us at this hour to dismiss all physical cares and domestic anxieties, and to have our hearts in heaven with the benevolent God.  Then you answer: 'We have lifted them up to the Lord,' giving assent to it by the acknowledgment that you make.  Let no one come here, then, who could say with his mouth, 'We have lifted them up to the Lord,' while he is preoccupied with physical cares." - Catechetical Lectures 848d, Saint Cyril of Alexandria, A.D. 350. 

I fell down, as though dead

John sees Jesus, looking quite scary if I do say so myself, and fell at His feet as though dead.  Now, if I saw Him with flaming eyes, a tongue like a sword, etc, I'd probably fall down, actually dead!  At Mass, we get to encounter Jesus, too.  Though He comes to us in humble bread and wine, I can't help but notice that we approach with such little reverence.  Ok, who is the "we" that I am talking about?  It's people like me.  I know that I don't fully honor what is going on.  You'd never know that someone of great importance was present by the behavior of people like myself. But it is my hope that these reflections on this book will help me do better.

Book of Revelation

Chapter 1



The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his servants what must happen soon.  He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who gives witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he says.  Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed time is near.  

John, to the seven churches in Asia:  grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever (and ever).  Amen.

Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,
And every eye will see him,
Even those who pierced him.
All the peoples of the earth will lament him.
Yes.  Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "The one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos, because I proclaimed God's word and gave testimony to Jesus.  I was caught up in spirit on the Lord's day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches:  to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.  Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest.  The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.  His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing water.  In his right hand he held seven stars.  A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest.  

When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead.  He touched me with his right hand and said, "Do not be afraid.  I am the first and the last, the one who lives.  Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever.  I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.  Write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.  This is the secret meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands:  the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

It's Just a Game. Or is it?

On the Edge
"It's Just a Game"

The dream that the Bronco's would go to the Super Bowl this year is still warm after its death, and it is the temptation of many fans to ease their pain with the claim that they shouldn't be upset because, after all, "it's just a game."

But is it just a game?  Is it really?

Why are sports so important to us?  Why are we so willing to throw thousands, millions even, of dollars to these players, coaches, advertisers, clothing companies, game day food, etc?  Is it really that our priorities are that out of whack?  Is it such a negative thing?

There was a time when my temptation was to answer this question with a resounding, "YES!"  At that time, it was such a negative thing in my opinion!  And, don't get me wrong, I do believe that the pay gap between a football star and, say, a teacher, is serious and needs to be addressed.  But I don't think that football, baseball, hockey, soccer, or [insert sport here] are to be condemned, either.  Sports are not intrinsically evil.

Look at what they do to our communities!  They bring us together in a way that nothing else can.  I suppose that you could say that sports divide communities in some ways.  They "divide" people who root for different teams (Bronco's vs Raiders).  They "divide" people who root for different players (cough cough Tim Tebow cough cough).  They "divide" people who root for different sports (baseball vs. football).  But, when it comes down to it, nobody is going to protest the playing of sports itself.  Nobody is going to get up and shout that football is from the devil.  Well, with the exception of the mom in the movie "The Waterboy!"  But that's a different story entirely!

Now, I don't particularly enjoy watching football.  But that doesn't mean that I think that football is bad.  It just means that I think it's boring.  That being said, I love football movies, TV episodes, and stories.  And the reason that I love those things is the same reason that most people actually enjoy watching the game itself (which I simply don't understand).  Because there are no guarantees in sports.  It's exciting.  And one bad move, one moment of hesitation, one moment of unsportsmanlike conduct or selfishness/not-playing-as-a-teamness, can completely change the dynamics of a game.

It's amazing how one player can lift the spirits of the entire team. I won't mention the famous (or infamous, depending on what you think of him) Tim Tebow, since there are a lot of polarized feelings there!  I will, however, mention Ubaldo Jimenez, who used to play for the Colorado Rockies.  Minus a few fluke seasons, the Rockies are a notoriously bad baseball team.  I love them.  I am loyal to my Colorado Rockies.  I can't even imagine cheering for any other team.  But I'm also a realist, and I can say without sadness or disloyalty that they are not a good team.  But I'll tell you what, when Ubaldo Jimenez was playing for us, the year he pitched a no-hitter, you'd never know that the Rockies were so bad!  At least, not on the games when Jimenez was playing!  On the other days, though, you'd be disappointed.  The Rockies rallied around their star pitcher.  They put in extra effort for "The Chosen One."  But as soon as another pitcher was on the field, they'd go back to playing mediocre baseball.

What is it about a star that can make a team come together?  Why did all of the members of the Rockies play better with Jimenez?  Why do the Bronco's rally around Peyton Manning?  It's simply because these players are not just players, they are legends.  And, as we recall in The Sandlot, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." 

It doesn't take much effort to see the correlations between most things in the secular world and our faith.  Sports have led us to ponder our faith for thousands of years.  It's in scripture!  And anything that reflects the spiritual life in any way is a good thing!

The legends of sports are much like the legends of our faith.  We rally around them.  They make us, the "running backs," the "wide receivers," the "centers," or whatever position you choose (yes, I had to look those up) play stronger, faster, better and with more commitment than if we didn't.  They give us hope.  After all, their lives aren't much different than our own.  And yet, there is something special about them.  It is the ability to see what they have, that we don't have, that makes us desire a better, fuller relationship with Jesus.

Who are these legends?  They could be any person who has lived the faith in a legend-wait-for-it-dary way!  Take for example, Moses.  Or Abraham.  Or Mary.  Or John the Baptist.  Or Peter.  Or Paul.  Or any holy man or woman from Scipture.

Or take the Saints.  Saint Francis of Assisi.  Or St. Thomas Aquinas.  Or Saint Augustine.  Or Saint Therese.  Or Saint Maximilian Kolbe.  Or Saint Thomas More.  Or Saint Theresa of Avila.  Or any of the Saints. 

Or how about those who live today, who experience the very same world that we do, in the very same times that we do:  like Pope Benedict XVI.  Or Scott Hahn.  Or Peter Kreeft.  Or Matthew Kelly.  Or Curtis Martin.  Or Jackie Francois.  Or Jeff Cavins.  Or Tim Grey.  Or Edward Sri.  Or Bob Rice.

Too often we let our world dictate to us the type of life we should be living, and the things that we should be doing.  And too often that message is that a holy life is something to be ashamed of.  There is NOTHING shameful about rallying around those holy men and women who lead you closer to God.  Absolutely nothing.  That's the team that I am on.  And I hope to be as good a player as those holy men and women I listed above.  The legends of the faith.  And that means that I am going to have to work hard, play with integrity, and leave the game making the other team say, "Wow.  That was a tough game.  I kind of wish that I was on that team, too." 

The sports we watch are a reflection of the lives we live.  We are all in this game of life . Does your life end with the victory of Heaven, or was it just to "have fun," "nobody's keeping score," and playing to "show me the money?" You have to ask yourself, "Is it just a game?" or is it something more?   

Someone Else's Story - Chiara Corbella

Please click on the link below to read a story of an amazing woman named Chiara Corbella, written by Lisa Cotter.  The joy that this woman showed was nothing short of miraculous.  Joy during suffering?  What an unusual concept!  I, personally, am not even close to a holy sufferer!  And yet, the most I've ever suffered is with the flu, a broken bone, or even a minor heart break (minor compared to the death of two children!).  This woman is a role model to me, and I can't imagine anyone so advanced in joy that she wouldn't be a role model for them, too!  It's a great story!  Please read and be inspired!


http://www.focus.org/blog/posts/saints-are-still-being-made.html?fb_action_ids=3792819633771&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Reflecting on Today's Readings

Today's Readings
January 13, 2013
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 or Is 40:1-5, 9-11
 Psalm:  Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30 or Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Second Reading:  Acts 10:34-38 or Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Gospel:  Luke 3:15-16, 21-22


There are a lot of options for today's readings.  I suggest you read all of them.  Because it is difficult to imagine which parishes will use which readings, I am primarily going to focus on the Gospel for this Sunday, because that should be the exact same everywhere!

Today's Gospel is very short.  Only a few lines.  And yet, they speak volumes to our hearts.  It is the Baptism of the Lord that we read.  When I have prayed about the meaning and importance of this passage before, it tends to be a little bothersome to me.  Why does Jesus even need to be baptized?  Isn't baptism supposed to make us a little more like Him?  If so, then Him being baptized is almost like Him trying to become like us.  Is that possible?  The answer, of course, is yes!  It is possible!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say about this scene:  "The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God's suffering Servant.  He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.'  Already he his anticipating the 'baptism' of his bloody death.  Already he is coming to 'fulfill all righteousness,' that is, he is submitting himself entirely to his Father's will:  out of love he consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins.  The Father's voice responds to the Son's acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight in his Son.  The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception comes to 'rest on him.'  Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind.  At his baptism 'the heavens were opened' - the heavens that Adam's sin had closed - and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation" (CCC 536).

Yes!  If that doesn't make you excited, read it again!  Everything that is special about our God (vs the gods of other faiths), is that our God does make Himself like us, in order for us to understand Him!  Our God became a human, and not some super high powered human who is out of touch with the majority of the people, but He made Himself small, almost to the point of being weak.  Although, that is not true.  I'd say meek is a better word to describe Him.  After all, it is the combination of power and gentility that makes one meek (vs weak), and Jesus has that down to an art!

We just celebrated Christmas, which is the time when God was born into this world, so that we could understand Him.  Let me tell you, if it wasn't for the fact that humans are here, He would not have done that!  I know it sounds obvious, but I think that we take it for granted.  We tend to think that it's obvious that Jesus was here.  No.  It's not.  He didn't become like the angels.  It seems like He is constantly trying to convince us of His love.  You don't see Him do that with other creatures/creations.  He didn't become a fish, or a monkey, or a spider, or a flower, or a mountain, or a planet, or a cloud.  He came as a person.  That makes us pretty special.

Now we get to see Him be baptized.  What a special gift.  To be numbered as one of the sinners!  What humility!  What love!  I heard a comedian (whose name I can't recall) say, "well, I felt really bad for the guy.  I mean, I've never been accused of a crime I didn't do!"  Which, of course, implies that he has only been accused of doing crimes he has done.  I think that tends to be a great fear for people:  to be accused of a crime they didn't do.  And yet, that's exactly what Jesus did.  And that's the role that He begins to take on all the way back with His baptism.

Jesus has great hope.  He knows that after His death comes His resurrection and ascension into Heaven.  And the coming up out of the waters of baptism is efficaciously symbolic of the fact that we, too, will rise out of the waters of death and into life with Christ.

"What does this have to do with me?" you ask.  "How can I apply this to my own life?"  Well, it's quite simple, really.

Humility.

I had a friend in high school who could have been very popular, had she chosen to be.  I wasn't exactly the cool kid, but this girl was my friend.  My very good friend.  And that fact always amazed me.  Why would she want to be friends with someone like me?

Humility.
 
Take Jesus' example of humility.  He was baptized for our sake, not His.  He would have been "saved," so-to-speak, whether or not He had been baptized.  He made Himself like us, so that we could be like Him.  Ask yourself, where are the places in my life where I could use a little more humility?  Do I think myself above others?  Who?  Why?  How can I "lower" myself to become like them, so that we can be more like equals?  Do I believe that I should "lower" myself, or that they should "raise" themselves?  Of course, I don't mean here that you should take on other people's sins.  But, then again, Jesus didn't do that, either.  Jesus made Himself like us in all ways but sin, and then He died for our sins.  Wow!  How can I be more like Jesus in that way?

"Of the Week's"

My Dog and My God

On Friday, I babysat my niece.  My sister brought her over to my house early in the morning, and she was here until about 6:00 pm that night.  It was fun.  I like babysitting my niece, especially at my house.  My dog, though, is not such a fan!  He was jealous and worried all day.  He actually ended up getting a lot of my attention that day, but could he speak, he'd tell you that wasn't true.  He's an all-or-nothing kind of creature.

Throughout the Old Testament, we hear about how God is a jealous God.  People often think that this is contradictory to what is later said about God, that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  But it's because God is jealous that He is love.  God is not jealous of us; He is jealous for us.  Just like my dog, God isn't satisfied unless we are completely His, not just mostly or slightly His.

Bible Verse of the Week 

Last night, at Confirmation, my boss told the teens, "You don't have to be perfect, but you have to be holy."  I think it's interesting that he said that when this is the Bible verse of the week!
 
"But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written 'Be holy as I am Holy.'" - 1 Peter 1:15-16

Saint Quote of the Week:   

"Christ said, 'I am the Truth,' He did not say, 'I am the custom'" - St. Toribio

Prayer of the Week:  

 All I'm going to say about this prayer is that it is crazy intense!  And I love that about it!

O Lord my God, help me to be obedient without reserve, poor without servility, chaste without compromise, humble without pretense, joyful without depravity, serious without affectation, active without frivolity, submissive without bitterness, truthful without duplicity, fruitful in good works without presumption, quick to revive my neighbor without haughtiness, and quick to edify others by word and example without simulation.

Grant me, O Lord, an ever-watchful heart that no alien thought can lure away from You; a noble heart that no base love can sully; an upright heart that no perverse intention can lead astray; an invincible heart that no distress can overcome; an unfettered heart that no impetuous desires can enchain.  

O Lord my God, also bestow upon me understanding to know You, zeal to seek You, wisdom to find You, a life that is pleasing to You, unshakable perseverance, and a hope that will one day take hold of You.

May I do penance here below and patiently bear your chastisements.  May I also receive the benefits of your grace, in order to taste your heavenly joys and contemplate your glory.

Amen. 

Video of the Week:  

This is just plain funny.  Nothing else.  Just funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCoD-TELD0A