Inbox Inspiration: February 16, 2021: A Savior? - 1-3

 A Savior? -1       

 

Dear Friends,

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior?

Some evangelical Christians will often ask this question.

Maybe there is a prior question: Do you feel the need for a savior?

I had not really thought about this until two months ago.

I was listening to a homily in which the priest said that a savior implies that we need saving.

He said that some people may find this insulting or diminishing.

After all, we are strong and self-sufficient.

In a culture of individualism where we think we can and have to make it on our own, maybe the whole idea of a savior leaves us very uncomfortable.

At first, I was surprised to hear these ideas.

However, the more I thought about them, the more I realized that this priest was making an insightful point. 

This has led me to reflect and pray about how I see our need of a savior.

 

In brief, I believe that we human beings are incomplete in and by ourselves.

There is something missing, something lacking in us when we are left alone to ourselves and our humanity.

I am not saying that we are bad or wretched or sinful in our humanity.

I simply believe that we are incomplete and because of that, we can get lost and be lost – if, if we are left alone without God. 

God, taking care of this incompleteness, becomes our savior – our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, salvation really says something positive about God, not something negative about us.  

 

“’Salvation’ is something beyond ethical propriety. The word connotes a deep respect for the fundamental metaphysical reality of [humanity]. It reflects God’s own infinite concern for [humanity], God’s love and care for [humanity’s] inmost being, God’s love for all that is his own in [humanity].”    

 

Father Michael Schleupner

February 23, 2022

 

A Savior? -2       

 

Dear Friends,

In last week’s Inbox, I looked at the question: Do I feel the need for a savior? 

To ask it another way: From what do I need to be saved?

I explained why these questions might be raised today and I then shared some general reflections on how I see our need for a savior.

Today I am trying to be a bit more specific and to put this in my own words. 

Over the past several years, I have developed three phrases that, for me, express what we need to be saved from and how Jesus is a Savior.

For ease of my own memory, there is some alliteration in these three expressions, and together they lead us to the three theological virtues.

So, here goes:

 

·      Jesus, as Savior, saves us from Darkness because he is pure Light, Light itself, and with that he calls us to the virtue of Faith.

·      Jesus, as Savior, saves us from Dysfunction because he is unconditional Love, Love itself, and with that he moves us to the virtue of Love.

·      Jesus, as Savior, saves us from Death because he is eternal Life, Life itself, and with that he leads us to the virtue of Hope.

 

So, there are times when we can experience Darkness. We may feel no sense  of purpose in our lives. Jesus Light enables us to see meaning and direction. If we are open to seeing our lives with his Light, we have received the gift of Faith.

Also, daily life can have its share of Dysfunction. We can experience this in our own personal relationships. Jesus teaches a balance of Love of others and self. If we try to embrace this, we are also accepting his gift of Love.

And finally, we know that physical Death will come someday. We also experience everyday Deaths or dyings to self. Jesus identifies himself as the Life and teaches us the paschal mystery. Our trust in this enables us to receive his gift of Hope.

 

Some final words on this topic next week, in the Inbox Inspirations of March 2. 

 

Father Michael Schleupner

March 2, 2022

A Savior? - 3

Dear Friends,
In the Inbox Inspirations of the last two weeks, I have looked at the question: Do I feel the need for a savior? 
To ask it another way: From what do I need to be saved?
I want to offer some concluding thoughts on this question today.
 
I believe that there is a fundamental, core restlessness in each of us.
We are almost always driven from within for something more.
One author puts it this way:
“Inside of us, it would seem, something is at odds with the very rhythm of things and we are forever restless, dissatisfied, frustrated, and aching….Desire is always stronger than satisfaction.
Whatever the expression, everyone is ultimately talking about the same thing – an unquenchable fire, a restlessness, a longing, a disquiet, a hunger, a loneliness, a gnawing nostalgia, a wildness that cannot be tamed, a congenital all-embracing ache that lies at the center of the human experience…”
 
So, we yearn for some satisfaction that is always elusive, always beyond our grasp.
We may try to find this thirst quenched in things like a larger home, a new car, more money, the newest smartphone, or in substances that are addictive. 
The problem is that none of the above really satisfies.
 
We need, I am convinced, someone or a Someone to “save” us from our core human insufficiency.
We need the gift of a light and a love that gives completeness to us as persons.
We find that only in the transcendent, in God, in a savior, and I would say, in the Savior Jesus Christ, God-with-us who reveals God-within-us.   
We need to give ourselves and our lives to this person and this relationship.
This is what salvation is all about.  
 
Father Michael Schleupner
 
Quotation above from The Holy Longing by Father Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I.
 

 

Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 13, 2021: 6th Sunday Ordinary Time, February 13, Cycle C

 Sunday Inbox Inspirations

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Cycle C

February 13, 2022

 

“Blessed” or “Woe”

 

I drive a Subaru Outback and I have an HD TV. I have an iPhone and an Apple MacBook.

 

Jesus says: “Blessed are you who are poor,” and “Woe to you who are rich.” So, am I on the blessed side or the woe side?

 

I really enjoy crab cakes and an occasional prime rib. I like all kinds of pasta and pizza.

 

Jesus says: “Blessed are you who are hungry,” and “Woe to you who are filled now.” So again, am I on the blessed side or the woe side?

 

I enjoy joking around with others. I sometimes watch comedy movies on Netflix.

 

Jesus says: “Blessed are you who are weeping,” and “Woe to you who laugh now.” So, am I on the blessed side or the woe side?

 

And, I like to be liked. I like being well thought of and appreciated.

 

Jesus says: “Blessed are you when people hate you,” and “Woe to you when all speak well of you.” So again, am I on the blessed side or the woe side? 

 

The Key: The Poor 

 

Well, I have done some reading and dug into this gospel a bit, and here is my take on it. 

 

The key to all that Jesus says is the very first statement: “Blessed are you who are poor.” On one level, Jesus is standing with those who are financially poor.

 

But on another level, he is really speaking to those who know that they are personally or spiritually poor. He is speaking to anyone who knows that there is a personal or spiritual emptiness within them.

 

Jesus knows that those who are materially poor are often quickly aware of their personal emptiness or poverty. Because of that, they may more readily turn to God and trust in God.

 

But Jesus is calling all of us – regardless of how much we own – to become aware of our inner emptiness or poverty. And he is saying that if we are aware of this, we are much more likely to be centered on God and relying on God. 

 

The Rest Follows

 

The rest of Jesus’ statements of who is blessed or happy in God’s eyes flow from what I have just said.

 

So, if we know that we are spiritually poor, we will be hungry for God. We will make room for God in our lives.

 

We will make time for Mass and for some personal prayer and for some enriching reading. This will fill the emptiness and satisfy the hunger in our spirit. 

 

If we know that we are spiritually poor, we will weep. We will notice the parts of our culture and of our selves where God is not present. 

 

We will care for those who literally are hungry or are subjected to any kind of prejudice or oppression. We will weep for these situations and for our own personal deficiencies.

 

And, if we know that we are spiritually poor, we will be less concerned with what others think of us. We will more concerned about being at peace with God and with others.

 

We will be more alert to being truthful and honest. Integrity and authenticity will be our dominant concerns. 

 

“Blessed” or “Woe”?

 

So, am I or are we more on the blessed side or the woe side?

 

Maybe this is not easy to answer. Maybe it is more of an ongoing process.

 

Maybe each day we need to own up to being poor – that there is an emptiness and something lacking in us. And when we can own up to that, we can then be hungry for God, and weeping for where God is not present in the world and in me, and caring for how God sees me and not how others see me.   

 

Let’s allow the Eucharist each week to help us with this. Let’s allow Jesus in this sacrament to transform us little by little into the kind of person he calls blessed. 

 

 

Fr. Michael Schleupner

Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 6, 2021: 5th Sunday Ordinary Time, February 6, Cycle C

 Sunday Inbox Inspirations

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Cycle C

February 6, 2022

 

Aware of God and Self 

 

Isaiah, in today’s first reading, has this amazing vision of God and is aware of the God’s presence. He quickly becomes aware of himself and his human imperfection. 

 

But then Isaiah experiences God taking him as he is and even sending him to do God’s work. He accepts this calling. 

 

Paul, in our second reading, has experienced the risen Christ and is aware of God’s presence in Christ. And this leads him to be aware of himself and his human imperfection. 

 

But again, Christ has spoken to him and asked him to be a disciple. And Paul humbly accepts this calling.

 

Finally, Peter, in today’s gospel, has this profound experience of Jesus as the Lord. He becomes aware of God’s presence in Jesus and this leads him to be aware of himself and his own human imperfection.

 

But again, Jesus tells him not to be afraid but to become an active disciple. And Peter accepts this calling. 

 

So, for Isaiah, Paul, and Peter – they are first aware of God and then aware of themselves. And this awareness enables them to respond and become the kind of person God calls them to be.

 

This awareness is also important for us – the awareness of God and the awareness of my own humanity. There are three moments here in the Mass where this same awareness can happen and be transforming for us. 

 

Aware in Mass 

 

The first moment comes right at the beginning of Mass in what we call the penitential prayer. The core of this is our becoming aware first of God and God’s love for us.  

 

Then, with this awareness, we can get in touch with ourselves. We realize that we are not God.

 

We become aware that we are human, imperfect, in need of growth. And with this awareness, we can then allow the Lord little by little to heal us and permeate our lives more and more.

 

The words “May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life” highlight this moment for us.   

 

Then the second moment for special awareness is with the readings. We believe that these are inspired passages – that the human authors are inspired by the Holy Spirit.

 

The readings place before us the unconditional love of God. They express the compassion and wisdom of Jesus.

 

And again, with this awareness, we also become aware of some area where we need to live up better to our side of the relationship with God. So again, this is an opportunity to be aware of God and of ourselves and our humanity.

 

The expression at the end of each reading “The Word of the Lord” and our response “Thanks be to God” highlight this moment for us. 

 

And then the third moment for special awareness is when we receive Communion. We believe that Jesus is present and comes to us in the bread and wine.

 

Our receiving the Eucharist gives us an intimate relationship with God. This is why we call it Holy Communion.

 

And so again, with this awareness of God’s presence, we are also aware of our deep need for relationship with the divine. We are aware that without this, we will be lost and alone.

 

The words as we receive Communion “The Body of Christ” and our response “Amen” highlight this moment for us.  

 

Conclusion

 

So, we have these three moments for awareness right here at Mass.

 

And perhaps the important insight is this. We are only really aware of who we are when we are aware of God.

 

It is only in the presence of God, the all-holy One, that we can gain the fullest sense of self and become the person God has made us to be.

 

 

Fr. Michael Schleupner