Inbox Inspiration: Courage and Thanksgiving Day: November 21, 2018

Courage and Thanksgiving Day

Dear Friends, 
Two months ago, I read an article about courage.
The author makes an interesting distinction between courage and toughness.
Courage is the virtue that leads us to do what is right even when that is difficult.
It emboldens us to speak out against injustice.
It empowers us to work for the common good of all.
It moves us to act out of moral conviction even when we incur rejection.
In contrast to this, toughness is not cited as a Christian virtue.
Usually, toughness means doing whatever I can do to get my own way.
It is often self-serving and lacking a firm moral base.
Frequently it is characterized by insensitivity to others, especially to the poor and vulnerable.
On this day before Thanksgiving, I propose the above as a helpful reminder.
We need to cultivate the virtue of courage (not toughness) to follow the way of Jesus.
This virtue is an important way to give thanks to God for all of our blessings.

“Christianity places the virtue of courage at the service of mercy. Mercy, for Christ, is the key form of human strength. It takes a strong character both to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. It takes courage to be truly meek, patient, and humble…The courage to be merciful is not grounded in mere sociability, niceness, or enlightened self-interest, but rather in the Cross. The Christian paradigm of courage lies in Jesus’ willingness to remain true to God even when doing so required him to go through horrific torture and a humiliating death.” 
From “No Mercy? We Need Courage, Not Toughness” by Stephen J. Pope (Professor of Theological Ethics at Boston College) in Commonweal, September 7, 2018.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. Amen. 
Father Michael Schleupner

Inbox Inspiration: Mercy 1-3: October 31, 2018 - November 14, 2018

October 31, 2018

Mercy – 1 

Dear Friends,
In the celebration of Mass, we use the “mercy” rather often.
For example, in the Penitential Act at the beginning of Mass, we pray:
“Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.” 
Prior to receiving Communion, we pray:
“Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.” 
Mercy is God’s love for us.
We can also say that God is Mercy because, as Saint John tells us, “God is love.”
So, God, God’s love, or God’s mercy is at the very core of our life.
God, Love, Mercy abides with us.
So, yes, we do sin.
However, the moment we feel sorrow for our sinfulness, God’s mercy is there.
In fact, God, Love, Mercy has never left us.
We simply block God at times with our self-centeredness.
And so, we ask God for mercy.
Let your love and mercy heal us and make us whole and holy.

“Mercy has two aspects. It involves giving, helping and serving others, but it also includes forgiveness and understanding. Matthew sums it up in one golden rule: ‘In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you’” (7:12).
From Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be Glad), an Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis. (1936-. Elected as 266^th Pope in 2013.)

[This is the first in a series of three reflections on Mercy. See the Inbox Inspirations for the next two weeks, November 7 and 14, 2018.]

May God give us the gift of trust that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Father Michael Schleupner

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November 7, 2018

Mercy – 2 

Dear Friends,
Pope Francis speaks of God’s mercy as having two dimensions:
giving and forgiving.
My reflection last week was on forgiving – God forgiving us.
Today my focus is on giving – God giving to us.
The manner of God’s giving is very clear in Jesus.
Jesus consistently reaches out and cares for anyone in need:
those who are physically sick or emotionally burdened,
those who are spiritually troubled or socially excluded,
those who are grieving or hungry,
those who are looking for a home or even a new homeland.
To use Jesus’ own words, he cares and gives to
the last, the least, the little and the lost.
This is Mercy – Divine Love, God.
It is who God is and what God does.

“Giving and forgiving means reproducing in our lives some small measure of God’s perfection, which gives and forgives superabundantly. For this reason, in the Gospel of Luke we do not hear the words, ‘Be perfect’ (Mt. 5:48), but rather, ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful’” (6:36).   
From Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be Glad), an Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis. (1936-. Elected as 266^th Pope in 2013.)

[This is the second in a series of three reflections on Mercy. See also the Inbox Inspirations of October 31 and for next week, November 14, 2018.]

May God give us the gift of trust that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Father Michael Schleupner

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November 14, 2018

Mercy – 3

Dear Friends, 
There are two dimensions to God’s mercy: giving and forgiving.
We hear in Saint Luke’s Gospel: “Be merciful, even as your heavenly Father is merciful” (6:36).
So, if we are to be like God, to be merciful, we are to be both giving and forgiving.
Earlier this year I did a series of seven Inbox Inspirations on forgiving.
If you wish, you may read or review them through this link: FORGIVING SERIES.
Here, today, I am making one comment about giving.
I believe that giving, first and foremost, has to do with our inner spirit.
What is in our heart?
What is our inner disposition?
So, deep down, do we want to do whatever we can for the good of our loved ones?
Beyond them, do we feel moved by the plight of the poor in our own country or in other parts of the world?
Do we want to seek solutions to human suffering, wherever it is found?
If this is our inner spirit, then I think we will be giving or merciful persons.
We will be fulfilling Jesus’ direction: “Be merciful, even as your heavenly Father is merciful” (6:36).

“…the best way to discern if our prayer is authentic is to judge to what extent our life is being transformed in the light of mercy. For ‘mercy is not only an action of the Father; it becomes a criterion for ascertaining who his true children are.’” 
From Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be Glad), and Misericordiae Vultus(The Face of Mercy) by Pope Francis. (1936-. Elected as 266^thPope in 2013.)

[This is the third in a series of three reflections on Mercy.  See also theInbox Inspirations of October 31 and November 7, 2018.]

May God give us the gift of trust that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen. 
Father Michael Schleupner

Inbox Inspiration: Work: October 24, 2018

October 24, 2018

Work 

Dear Friends,
Most of us work very hard and have a strong work ethic.
Sometimes it is helpful to recall the value and place of work in our lives.
The Book of Genesis speaks of God’s “work”in the act of creation.
At each step, it tells us: “God saw how good… was”the product of his work.
Some of us are blessed with a job that we really like.
We enjoy doing what we do, and we get a lot of satisfaction from it.
Some of us don’t like our work.
We simply have to do it in order to make a living.
For all of us, whether we like or dislike our job, I have one thought.
Let’s bring God with us to our work.
Let’s try to do it the best we can.
Let’s invest ourselves into it.
Let’s try to be proud of the quality of what we do.
Also, let’s be Christ to those with whom and for whom we work.
If we do this, to paraphrase Genesis, we will look upon what we have done and see that it is good.
And beyond that, what we have done will shape us and make us good.
Our work will form us more and more into the image and likeness of God.
Little by little, we will become like our Creator.

“In order to explain the meaning of work, we have to first ask ourselves about the purpose of work. What is its primary purpose? Making money? No. Making money is a secondary outcome of our work. The primary purpose of work is to help us become the-best-version-of-ourselves. When you work hard, pay attention to the details of your work, and do a good job, you grow in a number of virtues, including patience, diligence, perseverance, and integrity. Every time you grow in virtue, you become a-better-version-of-yourself.”
From Resisting Happiness by Matthew Kelly. (1973-. Australian. Catholic. Founder of Dynamic Catholic. Author and motivational speaker.)

Gracious God, grant us fulfillment in our work and renewal in our rest, as we follow the example of Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.
Father Michael Schleupner