4th Sunday of Lent
Cycle A
March 19, 2023 5pm
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Sunday Inbox Inspiration: March 19, 2023: 4th Sunday of Lent, March 19, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace Parish, Parkton
Sunday, March 5, 2023
Sunday Inbox Inspiration: March 5, 2023: 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 5, Cycle A
Sunday Inbox Inspirations
2nd Sunday of Lent
Cycle A
March 5, 2023
Three Recommendations
Today I want to make three recommendations.
But before I get into them, I want to explain why I am doing this. And that takes us to today’s gospel.
Transfiguration/Transformation
We hear that Jesus “is transfigured before” three of his apostles.
Instead of the word “transfigured,” we might say transformed. Jesus is seen in a way that he was never seen before.
For the first time, these three apostles see him for who he really is. The passage says that “Moses and Elijah appeared, [talking with Jesus].”
Moses was the great lawgiver. God had given to him the Ten Commandments.
And Elijah was the last of the great prophets. They believed that he would return before the Messiah came.
So, the presence of Moses and Elijah here means that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets – of everything in their Scriptures. That had to be an overwhelming idea for these three apostles.
And then, as if that isn’t enough, there is a voice from the heavens: “This is my beloved Son.”The Almighty One, God himself, confirms that Jesus is special, even unique, his Son, the Son of God.
So, these apostles are now seeing Jesus for who he really is – a person like them, but also a person who is God’s Son; human, and yet in some way also divine. That’s what this transformation of Jesus means.
Transformation of Us
This gospel also calls us to be transformed.
In fact, this is what Lent is all about. This is the positive way to look at Lent – our allowing ourselves to be transformed by God, by Jesus.
This is why Lent calls us to look closely at ourselves and identify our dark sides, our areas of sinfulness. And this takes me back to where I began.
I have three recommendations to assist us in our becoming aware of our imperfections and in asking God’s forgiveness and help. And all of this is for our transformation in Christ.
1st Recommendation: Daily
My first recommendation is that every day, we pray what we usually call an Act of Contrition.
We make this prayer after reflecting on our day or the day before and identifying any time that we did not follow the way of Christ. In this prayer, we ask for forgiveness and for God’s grace to grow and do better.
Many of us learned an Act of Contrition a long time ago and we know it by heart. Some of us prefer to pray this in our own words, and that’s fine too.
In today’s bulletin, and on the website, I have placed two other options for this prayer that come from the Church’s official ritual. My recommendation is that we do this daily, every day, as part of our prayer life.
2nd Recommendation: Weekly
My second recommendation is weekly – that every Sunday, right at the beginning of Mass, in the brief penitential prayer, we bring to God just one thing.
Bring to God the number one thing for which we need forgiveness. The number one habit or area of our lives where we need to grow.
I often suggest that we bring the same thing week after week, probably for months. We do this because you and I change slowly.
Our transformation, unlike Jesus’ on the mountain, is not instant. It takes time.
So, we bring this week after week and hear the words of God’s forgiveness through the priest. And in that, we allow the grace of God to work with us and help us to grow.
3rd Recommendation: Seasonal
My third recommendation is seasonal – that we think about the place of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, especially during this Season of Lent.
I am using the term Sacrament of Reconciliation and not confession. Many of our theologians see this a more appropriate title for this sacrament.
We name it by what it is intended to do, its purpose, and not by one of its parts. It is about reconciliation with God, with myself, and with others, and my confession is just part of that.
The Church teaches that we have to come to this sacrament only if we are guilty of something serious. Traditionally, we have spoken of mortal sin.
So, something like being unfaithful to our vocation and basic commitment in life. The Church teaches that we are to bring serious things like this to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Church also encourages us to use the Sacrament for lesser sins. Reconciliation can help us in our overall personal growth.
Now, the choice to do this or the frequency for this is up to us. I am simply encouraging that in this Season of Lent, we put this Sacrament on our radar screen and see if it has a place for us.
Conclusion
So, three recommendations: one daily, one weekly, and one seasonal – and all of them to assist in our being transformed, in our growing more and more in the likeness of Jesus.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 19, 2023: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 19, Cycle A
Sunday Inbox Inspirations
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle A
February 19, 2023
Love and Pray for Enemies
So, we are to love and pray for Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and maybe others.
I think we would call these countries our enemies, enemies of the United States. And we are to love and pray for these countries not just in the abstract, but personally – for their leaders and their people.
We are to lift them up to God in prayer. And in prayer, we are also to try to deal with our feelings of hostility toward them.
And we are to do the same thing in our personal lives with those whom we see as enemies, people who don’t like us or are offensive toward us. We are to love and pray for them too.
The Teaching
As if that isn’t enough, Jesus tells us to offer no resistance to one who is evil.
He uses three examples. The first is that if someone smacks you in the face, don’t smack back.
Instead, turn and let the person smack you on the other side of your face too. Oh really?
The second example is if someone steals your sweater, offer him your cap too. Oh really?
And the third example is that if a Roman soldier requires you to carry his equipment for one mile – and the Roman law allowed this at that time – then offer to carry it an extra mile. Again, really?
To go back to where his lesson started, Jesus says to offer no resistance to the evil one. I have to say that there is some exaggeration here to make a point.
It’s something like Jesus’ exaggeration when he says to pluck out your eye or cut off your arm if it’s a source of sin. He doesn’t really want us to do that.
But he is making the absolute point that we are to do whatever possible to avoid sin and follow his way. I think something similar is going on here.
Jesus is not saying: don’t protect yourself. And he is not saying: be a doormat.
But he is saying: realize that just returning evil for evil does not resolve the problem. In fact, it will continue the spiral of evil.
So, we need to explore ways of connecting with those who harm us. We need to explore common ground and try non-violent, peace-making solutions to differences.
In the long run, this will be the only way to resolve things. And that is why Jesus even tells us, to go back to where I began, to love and pray for our enemies.
The Result
Jesus concludes by telling us the result of our trying to do this.
He says: “We will be children of our heavenly Father, who makes his sun rise on the bad and good.” In other words, we as God’s children will grow to become more and more like God himself, in whose image we are made.
This will be the way to become more God-like persons. That’s my take on today’s challenging teaching.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 12, 2023: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 12, Cycle A
Sunday Inbox Inspirations
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle A
February 12, 2023
Faith as Relationship
This past week, the more I looked at today’s gospel, the more just one word came to me, the word relationship.
The reason is this. Basically, we can look at faith in one of two ways.
One way is to see faith as a list of doctrines that we believe and of commandments that we obey. The other way is to see faith as a relationship.
No question, faith includes doctrines – our understanding of who God is, as in our Profession of Faith. And faith also includes commandments – like the Ten Commandments.
But underneath all of this, theologians today hold that faith is a relationship. It is fundamentally and primarily a relationship with God.
Jesus and Relationship
God, especially through Jesus, initiates this relationship. And I see three components in this.
First, God wants to be with us.
Jesus tells is that he is with us always, until the end of time. He assures us that he remains with us through the Holy Spirit who abides within us.
Second, God speaks with us.
The entire Bible is God talking to us and God does this especially through Jesus. In fact, Jesus continues to talk with us every time we read or listen to the gospel.
And third, God cares for us and loves us.
The Scripture tells us that God is love – it’s that simple. Jesus repeatedly shows his care and love for people and continues to care for us and love us in many ways, including right here in the Eucharist.
So, 1) Jesus is with us, 2) Jesus speaks to us, and 3) Jesus loves us. That’s God’s side of the relationship.
And now, we are to respond by choosing 1) to be with Jesus, 2) to speak to him in our prayer, and 3) to love him by the way we live. This last way is where today’s gospel comes in.
Jesus gives us three examples of what it means to love him by living up to our side of the relationship. He is very clear that he doesn’t want us to see faith in him as just obeying commandments.
Instead, Jesus wants us to put our heart into it all and live out the spirit of the commandments. This will be doing our part of loving Jesus in this relationship.
We and Relationship
So, in his first example, Jesus wants us to be peaceable persons. He reminds us of the commandment not to kill anyone.
But he tells us not even to act out of a destructive anger. He wants us to get inside ourselves at the real cause of external violence – at the vengeance or hostility that can lie within us.
He wants us to get hold of these feelings and live out of our peaceful relationship with him. He wants us to be peaceable persons.
And then, Jesus wants us to be faithful persons. He reminds us of the commandment against adultery.
But he tells us not even to be lusting after someone who is not our wife or husband. Again, he wants us to get inside ourselves at the unchecked tendencies that can cause infidelity.
He wants us to live out of the faithful relationship that he has with us and give our best to one another in marriage. He wants us to be faithful persons.
And finally in today’s passage, Jesus wants us to be truthful persons. He reminds us of the practice of his day of taking oaths as a way to assure the truth of what someone was saying.
But he tells us that this isn’t necessary. He says that this may lead to the practice that things said without an oath may not be true.
He wants us to live out of the relationship with him where he tells us the truth about himself and the heavenly Father and about ourselves and how we are to live. He wants us to be truthful persons.
Conclusion
So, faith as relationship with God and with Jesus Christ.
That’s what I see as the basis for Jesus’ calling us to more – to live not just the literal wording, but the real spirit of the commandments.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Sunday Inbox Inspiration: February 5, 2023: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 5, Cycle A
Sunday Inbox Inspirations
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle A
February 5, 2023
Salt in Food
I seldom add salt to food.
We all know what the medical profession says about limiting the amount of sodium in our diet. Most food needs some salt, but I rarely add more to what is already in it.
The exception is that every August, I find myself using the saltshaker. I enjoy a simple tomato sandwich: slices of vine-ripe tomato, mayonnaise on the bread, a slice of cheddar cheese, and definitely a dash of salt on the tomato.
The salt brings out the wonderful taste of the tomato. It just isn’t quite as good without the salt.
Those who like to cook tell me how important salt is. Just the right amount brings out the full flavor of the beef or green beans, but too much salt can ruin the taste.
We Are Salt
Our use of salt on food helps us to appreciate today’s gospel.
Jesus tells us that we are “the salt of the earth.” The idea is that we are to flavor and enhance the world.
Just as salt does for food, we are to bring out the best in those around us. So, parents are salt by teaching their children simple things like saying “Please” or “Thank you” or by helping them with a science project or something like that.
Teachers and guidance counselors are salt by guiding young people into the extra-curriculars that will develop them well – like dance, music, soccer, basketball, whatever. We can be salt by listening carefully to a spouse or friend, helping them to clarify what their upset is all about, and then assisting them in figuring out how they might best express themselves.
As I say all of this, it is also important to remember that ordinary salt is something we seldom notice. We never say: “Wow, that salt really tastes good!”
Instead, we say: “That fried chicken was great!” If it is the right amount, the salt enhances and draws the best out of the food, but draws no attention to itself.
That is an important feature of salt. Jesus wants us to have this same feature.
We Are Light
Jesus also tells us that we are to be “the light of the world.”
Well, we don’t sit and look at a light bulb, and we should not look directly at the sun. Instead, we look at what light illumines.
So, something like salt, as light we are not to be the center of attention. Instead, we are to light up what is beyond us and enable others to see certain things.
Maybe it is the light of faith itself when we try to share parts of our faith and faith practice with our children. Maybe it is the light of an insight, when we try to guide a young adult on a relationship issue.
Maybe it is pointing out the light instead of cursing the darkness. Instead of just harping on the bad things in our society and world, we can highlight persons who give generously of their time for aging parents or for Habitat for Humanity and things like that.
Pope Francis once gave an interview to a journalist who is a non-believer, an agnostic. And the Pope never put him down for not believing.
Instead, he affirmed the good things this man is doing and said we meet and are one in doing good. That’s the Pope’s way to be light in today’s world, and it is a good example for us, maybe in dealing with a son or daughter or others who no longer practice their faith.
Conclusion
One more thought. Too much salt can ruin food and too much light can blind us.
In trying to be salt and light for others, we need to be careful. Pushing too much by being too much salt or too much light can hurt relationships and just push others away from what we would like them to have.
So, with that caution, Jesus uses some simple images to describe how he wants us to be his disciples. Both salt and light focus beyond themselves, not on themselves.
And both are very positive in the way they act. Helpful images and lessons for us today!
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Sunday Inbox Inspiration: January 22, 2023: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 22, Cycle A
Sunday Inbox Inspirations
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle A
January 22, 2023
The Holocaust Museum: Lessons
Several years ago, I visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Probably many of you have been there.
As you know, the Museum is a memorial especially to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust in the 1940s. This genocide by the Nazis killed 6 million Jews.
The Holocaust eventually included others, like citizens of Poland and the Soviet Union, gypsies, homosexual and disabled persons, and others. The Nazis exterminated a total of 11 million people.
As I slowly walked through the Museum, I found myself sad, almost overwhelmed. At times I became aware that I was just shaking my head “No!” in disbelief.
Now, I am recalling this experience in view of the increasing number of anti-Semitic incidents in our country. Reports tell us that in the year 2021, there were 2,700 anti-Semitic incidents of harassment, assault, and vandalism.
This was the highest annual number ever reported. It represents an increase of 34% over the prior year, 2020.
I think about this in relation to today’s gospel. Jesus is the “great light” foretold by the prophets.
We, as disciples and persons of faith, are also to be a light in our world. One thing this must mean is that we are alert to things like anti-Semitism and that we ourselves do not participate in this.
We need to be a light in darkness. So, with this in mind, I have two reflections.
1. Words Are Powerful
First, our words are powerful.
The words we speak and the words we write or text or email – these can be very powerful. We need to be very aware of this.
For example, have you ever said something and the moment it is out of your mouth, you wish you could take it back? Maybe in frustration, we said to a teenager: “You’re never going to amount to anything.”
Or to someone: “You’re a lazy waste of time!” Or: “You’re a good-for-nothing blankedy blank.”
Our words can help a person develop and grow. Or they can freeze a person right where they are and even send them backwards.
Our words can build up self-esteem and self-confidence. Or they can tear it down and injure someone for a lifetime.
Our words can give positive vision to a group or entire race of people. Or they can lead those same people into destructive ways.
So, I am suggesting, we have to pause, reflect, and go within ourselves before we speak. We have to get in touch with our true inner self and with God who is within us.
We have to consider the effects of our words for today and tomorrow and the future. And then, we have to decide what to say and when to say it and how to say it.
So, knowing that our words have such power is very important. We need to use our words in a thoughtful way.
2. Negative Stereotypes Are Destructive
My second reflection is related to the first and really flows from it.
Negative stereotyping is always destructive. And it is always wrong.
This is what happened in Nazi Germany and what caused the Holocaust. Thoughtless and hurtful words were applied to the Jews.
These words and labels led to negative stereotyping. In that instance, we know the horrific results.
Some scholars tell us that negative stereotyping arises from the human temptation to scapegoat. We unfairly blame another person or an entire category of persons for our problems and that’s what scapegoating is.
So, we need to resist negative stereotyping of others. Today, it might be directed to Jews or to Hispanic immigrants, to women or to African Americans, to LGBTQ persons or to Muslims.
We need to have the inner strength not to participate in this. In fact, we need to label it as morally wrong.
And in doing that, we will be a light to the world and really living our faith in Jesus Christ. We will be a light in darkness.
And we will be doing this by resisting hateful words and negative stereotyping. We will do this by respecting others as persons with feelings and needs and hopes much like our own.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Inbox Inspiration: January 4, 2022: Spiritual Wellness - 1-14
Spiritual Wellness - 1
Staying Centered on Jesus
Dear Friends,
Today I am starting a series of columns on spiritual wellness. The question is: What is involved in being well spiritually? What practices do we have to do or what traits do we have to develop if we are to be healthy or whole in our inner self, in our relationships with others, and in our relationship with God? Obviously, I write about this from the perspective of being a Christian (and a Catholic priest).
The first thing we need for spiritual wellness is probably evident: we need to stay centered on Jesus. Remember Jesus’ question to Peter and the other disciples: “’Who do you say that I am (Matthew 16:15)?’” We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed One of God, the Son of God. This means that in Jesus, we come to see and know God himself. As Jesus says, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).’”
So, how do we stay centered in Jesus? I recommend two primary ways.
- Reading the gospels. Reading and praying over the gospels needs to be part of our prayer life. All other prayer points to this or is derived from this. We need to read a few verses from the gospels regularly.
- Asking what would Jesus do. When we are trying to decide what to do in a given situation, we turn to Jesus. His teachings and certainly his example can help us to discern the good or better thing to do or what God wants us to do.
Why is it important to stay centered in Jesus? I see two reasons.
- We are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus shows us who God is and what God is like. So, staying centered in Jesus helps us to become the person or kind of person that we already are through the act of creation.
- And second, Jesus gives us the grace of the presence and strength of God. He empowers us for living the journey of life well.
With great insight, one of our Catholic theologians expresses who Jesus is in this way:
“God’s immense richness is concentrated and focused at this one spot, the humanity of Jesus Christ, so that here, in this single Person, ‘are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’, here ‘the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily’, here stands the Eternally Beloved ‘Son’, expressly indicated by the Father’s word: ‘Listen to him!’”
“Everything is narrowed down to the One who, on earth, sacramentally and for all [persons], is to represent the One who is in heaven.”
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation above from Prayer by Father Hans Urs von Balthasar
Spiritual Wellness - 2
See Yourself As Beloved
See Yourself As Beloved
Dear Friends,
Last week I began this series on Spiritual Wellness with the importance of staying centered on Christ. That, I believe, must come first – there is no other place to start! Today’s column turns to what I think must come next – our belovedness.
The Scripture tells us clearly and simply that “God is love” (I John 4:8). So, we are invited to trust that God actually is love and thus loves us. Then, at Jesus’ baptism, the voice from the heavens (the Father) says: “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17). We can and, I believe, we are intended to hear these words as also addressed to us: “You are my beloved daughter” – “You are my beloved son.” Why is it so important for us to remember or to know for the first time our belovedness? Several reasons occur to me.
This at least lessens, maybe removes our fear of God. It keeps us from feeling unworthy, unnecessarily guilty, even ashamed. It helps us to deal with any self-rejection or self-diminishment.
More positively, the awareness that we are beloved gives us a foundation for self-worth. It gives us the confidence to become and to flourish as the kind of person God has created us to be. It moves us to be loving and to love others as God loves us and them. I would go so far as to say that our seeing ourselves as beloved is foundational to a healthy and holy life and to an alive and positive relationship with Jesus Christ.
One of our Catholic authors puts it this way:
“Our many conversations led me to the inner conviction that the words ‘You are my Beloved’ revealed the most intimate truth about all human beings…
“The change of which I speak is the change from living life as a painful test to prove that you deserve to be loved, to living it as an unceasing ‘Yes’ to the truth of that Belovedness. Put simply, life is a God-given opportunity to become who we are, to affirm our own true spiritual nature, claim our truth, appropriate and integrate the reality of our being, but, most of all, to say ‘Yes’ to the One who calls us the Beloved.”
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation above from Life of the Beloved by Father Henri J. M. Nouwen.
Spiritual Wellness - 3
Make Time to Pray
Make Time to Pray
Dear Friends,
Maybe it sounds obvious or even trite, but it is important to state this. Spiritual wellness must include some time to pray.
For the overwhelming majority of us, this does not mean that we are in church every day. It does mean that we intentionally plan a time, if possible, every day, when we can pray. “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.” That’s a definition of prayer that is almost 1300 years old. I think it is still good. The question is: Why is prayer important for spiritual wellness?
The first thing to say is that the essence of faith is a relationship with God, and prayer is an essential expression of this. Prayer is our way of communicating with the Almighty One, with our Creator, with the transcendent One, with God, with Jesus. We need this spiritual communication or exchange to be healthy spiritually. We can have this and pray in various ways.
- We can speak to God in prayers that we have learned. The most familiar example of this is the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus himself left us. Other examples would be the Hail Mary, the rosary, the chaplet, and novenas.
- Another way of communicating with God is to pray in our own words. We may praise God for the beauty of a sunset, thank God for our health, express our sorrow for being impatient, or ask God to assist us with a family problem. We might also reflect on a passage of Scripture and talk with God about what this means to us and what God may be calling us to do here.
- And then we might pray just by being silent and still. Here we are giving God a chance to break through and speak to us. We are opening ourselves just to the presence of God. We might engage in this kind of prayer sitting before the Blessed Sacrament or at home in a chair or even when walking alone by ourselves in silence. The idea is that prayer is not just my speaking to God; it is also opening myself to listen to God speaking to me.
Once again, spiritual wellness demands that we tend to the world of the spirit. Praying is an essential way of doing that.
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation above from De Fide Orthodoxa, 3, 24, by St. John of Damascus, usually known as Saint John Damascene.
Spiritual Wellness - 4
Live An Inner Life
Live An Inner Life
Dear Friends,
Few, if any of us need to be reminded to live an “outer life.” Most of the time, we are outer-focused – interacting with family or friends, with employers or fellow employees, with people we meet in the supermarket or talk to on the telephone. Most of the time, we are busy with many responsibilities and opportunities. We live an “outer life.”
However, we may need to be reminded to live an “inner life.” We regularly need to be slow enough and quiet enough to go within ourselves. We need to be in touch with our true self. To do this, it is important to be aware of our feelings. Our feelings are often the windows to our true self and our way to deeper communion with God.
For example, we may feel loved, satisfied, thankful, peaceful, eager, hopeful, inspired, secure, confident, and on it goes – feelings that we like and welcome. On the other hand, we may feel angry, resentful, diminished, guilty, ashamed, lonely, anxious, afraid, sad, and on it goes – feelings that we don’t like and don’t want.
It is good to go within ourselves and to name and own these feelings. They lead us to our true self and this is the self we want to present to God in prayer – our entire self, with nothing withheld. After all, God already knows us completely anyway. Our presenting our full and true self to God opens us to God’s presence and grace. It helps us to become more and more the person God made us to be and more and more one with, in communion with God.
So, yes, living an inner life is an essential part of spiritual wellness. One of great twentieth century theologians puts it this way:
“In the final analysis, talking about prayer doesn’t matter; rather, only the words that we ourselves say to God. And one must say these words oneself.
Oh, they can be quiet, poor, and diffident. They can rise up to God’s heaven like silver doves from a happy heart, or they can be the inaudible flowing of bitter tears. They can be great and sublime like thunder that crashes in the high mountains, or diffident like the shy confession of a first love.
If they only come from the heart. If they only might come from the heart…. Then God hears them. Then he will forget none of these words.”
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation from The Need and the Blessing of Prayer by Father Karl Rahner, S.J.
Spiritual Wellness – 5
See Yourself as You Are
Dear Friends,
An essential ingredient of spiritual wellness is that we see ourselves as we really are. I am thinking about two dimensions of this.
First, we need to become aware of both our strengths and our limitations. Maybe we are good at technology but not so good at balancing our family budget. Maybe we are good at Pickleball but not so good at stand-up paddle boarding. Maybe we are an honest employee but not cut out for the executive office. Maybe we are good at getting a job done but must struggle to sense the feelings of others. The point is that each of us, no exceptions, has both strengths and limitations.
The invitation of Christ is to see ourselves as we are. We are not to be less than what we are, but we also are not to try to be more than what we are. Jesus calls us to find consolation and peace in who we are. And, of course, he wants us to present this authentic self to others and not pretend to be other than what we are.
The admission of our imperfections or sinfulness is the other dimension involved in seeing ourselves as we are. God does not expect perfection of us; only God is perfect and all of us on this earthly journey will remain imperfect in some way. However, God does expect us to admit our areas of sin, to seek forgiveness from him and from others when needed, and to keep growing spiritually. This is what Jesus means by his call to repentance in the gospels. This is also part of what it means to be humble and authentic persons.
Here I am reminded of something by one of our contemporary spiritual authors.
“The goal is not the perfect avoidance of all sin, which is not possible anyway (I John 1:8-9; Romans 5:12), but the struggle itself, and the encounter and wisdom that comes from it….So, shadow boxing, a ‘searching and fearless moral inventory,’ is for the sake of truth and humility and generosity of spirit, not vengeance on the self or some kind of total victory over the self. Seeing and naming our actual faults is probably not so much a gift to us – although it is – as it is to those around us…None of us need or expect perfect people around us, but we do want people who can be up front and honest about their mistakes and limitations. And hopefully grow from them.”
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation from Breathing Under Water by Father Richard Rohr, OFM.
Spiritual Wellness - 6
Look Beyond Yourself
Look Beyond Yourself
Dear Friends,
We can say that we are to look beyond ourselves because that is what God has told us to do. We can say that we are to be persons of compassion and love because that is what God has called us to be. Jesus tells us, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), and then, “When you did it [good things] to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40). We could say that this is sufficient reason and basis for looking beyond ourselves. Nevertheless, I see another basis.
Saint John tells us simply and clearly, “God is love” (I John 4:8). And “This is love: not that we have loved God, but that God loved us” (I John 4:10). Let’s connect these words with the fundamental revelation in Genesis: “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us” (Genesis 1:26. The insight is clear. If we are made in the image and likeness of God, and if God is love, then we must work at becoming persons of love. Maybe it is more like allowing ourselves to be who and what God made us to be. This is what will bring us fulfillment and fullness. And this is why our looking beyond ourselves is essential to spiritual wellness.
Recently I heard it said that we have areas of influence and areas of concern. It seems to me that this is a helpful way for looking beyond ourselves.
Areas of influence are those parts of our lives or those persons with whom we have direct contact. This includes family, friends, and all loved ones. It also includes those in our neighborhood or community and fellow employees. With these people, we can have influence. We can do positive things for their well-being.
Areas of concern are those parts of our world or those persons with whom we have no direct contact. So, we stay informed about the situation of these peoples and we pray for them: for those in our own country who live in poverty, for refugees and migrants in Central America, for those suffering from drought or famine in parts of Africa, for the Ukrainians as they are attacked by the Russians.
Being alert to areas of influence and areas of concern will help us to look beyond ourselves. This is needed for spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Spiritual Wellness – 7
Be Thankful
Dear Friends,
Being thankful is essential for our spiritual wellness. Giving thanks to God opens us to an accurate sense of who we are and who we are in relationship to God and to others. Saint Ignatius of Loyola saw this as the heart of prayer and, therefore, of the spiritual life. Commenting on Ignatius and the prayer that he taught, one author says this:
“Adopting an ‘attitude of gratitude’ can be a practical stratagem to get through a tough time. But the kind of gratitude that Ignatius was talking about when he tells us to ‘give thanks to God our Lord for the favors received’ is something deeper and stronger. It’s the heart of prayer. Such gratitude is a window into the deepest truth about ourselves – that we are caught up in a relationship with a loving God who is generous beyond our imagining. When we catch sight of this, giving thanks is the response. Gratitude isn’t a pair of rose-colored glasses; it’s the essence of our spiritual condition.”
Maybe it is good to remember that being thankful may not come naturally to us. Why? Two reasons. We often take for granted the good things or blessings in our lives. And we often focus on what we don’t have rather than on what we do have. So, we may have to intentionally work at this. I offer three recommendations.
1. Every morning, maybe as soon as we wake up, maybe having our first cup of coffee, maybe driving to work, whenever it works for us, pray a prayer of gratitude to God. Begin the day with thankfulness to God.
2. Make sure we thank God for the simple gifts that we can easily overlook. Our life, this day of life, our health or health care, a lasting relationship, family members and friends, food, heat, our car, our phone, and on it goes. In other words, start with the gifts that we might take for granted.
3. And then make sure we thank God for any special things. Maybe a reconciliation with someone from whom we have been estranged. Maybe a warm text message from your husband or wife or from a son or daughter. Maybe a nice vacation or just an easy weekend. If we cannot think of any recent special things, look back in your life and recall something that stands out to you.
Let’s just remember that being thankful is part of spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation from A Simple Life-Changing Prayer by Jim Manney.
Spiritual Wellness – 8
Be Faithful
Dear Friends,
One of my favorite psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we usually call the Old Testament) is Psalm 117. This is also the shortest of all the psalms, only two verses.
“Praise the Lord, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!”
This simple psalm beautifully praises God for his faithfulness to us. God’s loving faithfulness endures forever. This is a basis for our belief, confirmed by Jesus, that God’s love for us is unconditional and permanent. God may not like or approve of some of the things we do, but God still loves us. God is faithful.
God’s faithfulness calls us to be faithful. I see this on two levels. Maybe there are others, but these are the two that pop up to me.
We are called to be faithful to our vocation, to what God has called us to be. Here I am thinking especially of husbands and wives in marriage and of priests in Holy Orders. Here faithfulness to our calling from God means that we don’t just try to get by with the minimum or that we do only as much as another or others do in return. Rather, it means that we give it our all. We pour ourselves into the relationship of marriage or into the life and ministry of priesthood. We give it our best. We do this knowing that there will be times of disappointment and of discouragement. But even then, being faithful means that we try our best to work through any problems and to discern how to proceed. We do that with God in prayer and sometimes with someone else who can offer wise guidance.
Besides the vocations mentioned above, all of us have other relationships, commitments, and responsibilities. I suggest that the same thoughts apply in a similar way to these areas of our life. Being faithful means that we give of ourselves, that we do our best, and that we commit to trying to work through difficulties. We don’t automatically give up or abandon ship as soon as the going gets tough.
We are made in God’s image and likeness. God is always faithful to us. So, being faithful is an essential ingredient of our spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Spiritual Wellness – 9
Maintain a Balance
Dear Friends,
Trying to keep a balance between work and time for myself is sometimes a challenge for me. I find myself evaluating this, usually wondering if I am devoting too many hours to ministry and not reserving enough for myself as a person. This kind of balance is important for all of us. It is an ingredient of spiritual wellness.
I look to the Scripture for the basis of this balance. The Book of Genesis speaks of God both working and resting. God works to create the light, and the sky, the earth and vegetation, the sun and moon and stars, the fish and birds, the animals, and finally human beings. At the end of each of the six days of creation, we are told that “God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed…” (Genesis 1:1-31). The implication is that God rested at the end of each day. And then, to top it off, we read, “Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken” (Genesis 2:2). So, the One in whose image we are made seems to have balanced work and rest. A lesson for us!
I also look to Jesus. Frequently the gospels tell us something like this: “Rising very early before dawn, Jesus left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed” [Mark 1:35]. Or, after a long day and feeding the 5,000, “he went up on the mountain by himself to pray” (Matthew14:23). Jesus did his first miracle when he was having a good time at a wedding reception (John 2:1-12) and he often hung out with friends and others over a nice meal (for example, Luke 5:27-29, 10:38-42, 19:1-10). The point here is that Jesus pulled away from teaching and healing and had time for himself to pray, to relax, and to enjoy life.
So, the above Scriptural background makes a statement to me and to all of us. Try to keep a good balance between work and leisure. Our time off will be restorative. It will put us in touch with God who created us, who made work a good thing and who also rested. It will place us in communion with Jesus who seems to have had a good balance of work and time for himself. Most of us work hard and so, working enough is probably not the issue. The issue is to have enough time away from work – to exercise, enjoy family and friends, read, watch a movie, get enough sleep, and yes, to pray. This balance is an essential ingredient of our spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Spiritual Wellness – 10
Belong to a Community
Dear Friends,
Belonging to a community of faith – I believe that this is an important ingredient of our personal spiritual wellness. This is an important reminder especially for today.
An increasing number of Americans (and maybe also people in some other countries) identify as NONES. They have no religious affiliation. Some say that they are spiritual but not religious. Additionally, some of mainline churches are having difficulties. Catholicism has been plagued in the last thirty years with a terrible sexual abuse scandal. Almost all Christian denominations have been experiencing tension, disagreement, and maybe division over certain issues, like women priests or ministers, the treatment of LGBTQ persons, etc.
So, the above factors and others have led some people to discontinue affiliation with a church or faith community. In the face of this, I believe that this is still important for us. Here are a few reasons.
Our participating in a faith community keeps us from becoming spiritually isolated and narrow. It keeps us connected with other persons of faith and this almost always enlivens our faith. It enlarges our perspective and vision of God, life, and the world, even if we don’t agree with everything that is said or done in a particular church. It leads us to examine what we do believe and find either confirmation for this or a call to examine this.
We Catholics and at least many other Christians also believe that the baptized are the living body of Christ on this earth. Because of that, we find communion with Jesus through other persons of faith, a communion we would not have without this connection.
And that leads me to Communion spelled with a capital C. We Catholics greatly value the Eucharist – Holy Communion. We believe that Christ is truly present in this sacrament and that this gives us a closeness and intimacy with him that we cannot find elsewhere. Belonging to this community of faith, being present for liturgy, and receiving the Eucharist is a great, unequalled blessing.
One last comment. I realize that some good persons of faith look around for a church or parish where the style of liturgy or music or preaching or the vibrancy of the community really touches them positively. This is very understandable today. So, to go back to today’s main point: belonging to a faith community is important for our spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Spiritual Wellness – 11
Appreciate Beauty
Dear Friends,
Things of beauty can lift our spirit. They take us into the realm of the spiritual. They connect us with the Spirit – yes, with the Holy Spirit, with God. This is why we can say that seeking and appreciating things of beauty is an essential part of spiritual wellness.
I am thinking first of the beauty of nature: just gazing at the ocean and hearing the rhythm of the waves; driving through the mountains; walking on a trail through the woods; or just looking out of a window at a tree magnificently shaped by decades of life.
Then there is the beauty of visual art: the many rural scenes and portraits of Andrew Wyeth; or the mystique of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo de Vinci.
There is the beauty of music: the Fifth Symphony by Beethoven (rated as the most famous symphony in the world); Come, Journey with Me by Marty Haugen or Our God by Chris Tomlin.
There is the beauty of sculpture: the Pieta by Michelangelo; or Liberty Enlightening the World (Statue of Liberty) by Auguste Bartholdi.
There is the beauty of architecture and buildings: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris; Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
There is the beauty of literature and especially poetry: The Temple by George Herbert; or The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.
You can undoubtedly add other examples of beauty. What I have shared above is limited by my own awareness and is by no means exhaustive. I hope what I have shared helps to make the point.
Most of us live very busy lives. Our days may be full and long. At some time or another, we have to deal with hardship: disappointments with our job, school, family or church, financial challenges, health problems, aging, and the loss of a loved one. And on top of that, we live with a great deal of divisiveness in our world.
What I am saying is that in our life and in the human situation in general, we need things of beauty. We need to make space for the beautiful to lift us and lift our spirit to the One who is Spirit, to God. This brings us some serenity and peace, some light and life. This is why I say that seeking and appreciating things of beauty is an essential part of spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Spiritual Wellness – 12
Be Open
Dear Friends,
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists twenty different meanings for the word open. So, when saying that to Be Open is one of the ingredients of Spiritual Wellness, it is important to define what this means. The closest definition in the dictionary to what the word is intended to convey here is this: “Willing to hear and consider or to accept and deal with.”
I immediately think of the example of Mary. She was open to the startling words of the angel. The angel spoke a completely unexpected and confusing message. Why was she so favored by God? How could she conceive a child when she was not married and had never had relations with a man? And yet, Mary was open. She questioned but she was willing to hear, consider and, in the end, even accept the mysterious message of the angel (Luke1:26-38).
Mary’s example calls us to be open. For example:
v Not immediately rejecting a new idea because we have never done it that way before but being willing to consider and evaluate it.
v Not turning off a new insight into our faith because it is different from what we learned as a child but taking it in and seeing if it expresses something about God or our relationship with God that is in harmony with the gospel.
v Not shutting down to something different in the celebration of the Mass but trying to appreciate its possibility for enhancing our worship.
v Not judging others by physical appearance, such as by tattoos or body piercings or the length or color of hair but trying to appreciate others as unique persons.
v Not dividing ourselves from others based on beliefs, opinions, or perspectives but seeking common ground.
Being open in the above and other ways helps to bring the kingdom of God to this earth. It allows God to act with us as God did with the openness of Mary. It will help us to be more at peace within ourselves. It may expand our vision. It will lead to a greater respect for others and maybe even the building of community. It will help to make the presence of God more real on this earth. This is why being open is an essential ingredient of spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Spiritual Wellness - 13
Be Humble
Dear Friends,
Being humble does not mean that we beat ourselves up or put ourselves down. It does not mean that we deny our self-worth or pretend that we are less than another. It does not mean that we are timid or lacking in self-confidence.
Being humble does mean that we see ourselves as we really are. So, I can own and be comfortable with my ability to write columns on faith and give at least a decent homily. At the same time, I can admit that I am lousy in setting up an iPhone and in other techie tasks. Being humble means that I use and don’t hide the talents and gifts that God has given me.
And, of course, being humble means that I can say at the end of a day that I spent my time pretty well and did some good things. It also means that I can admit that I was impatient with someone or that I went along with the crowd and made some racist comments. It means that I can feel guilty when that is appropriate and ask God or another person for forgiveness.
One of our contemporary Catholic authors offers a good insight into false pride and false humility versus Christ-like pride and Christ-like humility.
“False pride puts me at the center of the universe, whereas false humility beats me up through shame and self-hatred. In contrast, Christ-like pride recognizes the truth that each person is created in the image of God and enjoys inherent dignity. Persons with Christ-like humility acknowledge their worth as human beings but also recognize their human limitations. Such persons are grateful for the gifts of God. They know who they are, with all of their beauty and blemishes.”
Maybe the bottom line is this. Being humble means being precisely the person who I am – nothing more and nothing less. Being humble is being authentic and having integrity. Humility and authenticity and integrity all go together. This is why being humble is an essential ingredient of spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Quotation above from The Ignatian Adventure by Kevin O’Brien, S.J.
Spiritual Wellness - 14
Believe in the Mystery
Believe in the Mystery
Dear Friends,
Believing in the mystery, the paschal mystery, is at the heart of Christianity. Here the word mystery means a truth that we can only know through God’s revelation and that we cannot fully understand. The word paschal derives from the Greek word for Passover and now refers to both Passover and Easter. So, the paschal mystery is the passing over of Jesus Christ from death to new life. We believe that this mystery can also be part of our human experience.
In the course of our lives, there are death experiences, experiences of dying to self or to something in our lives. For example:
- Dying to our youth when we realize that we are now in middle age or beyond.
- Dying to our wholeness when we become aware that we are broken, incomplete, or at least limited in certain ways.
- Dying to our dreams when we learn that certain things that we had hoped for will not happen.
- Dying to our idealism when we realize that life is not always fair or perfect.
- Dying to our image of God when we consider a fuller understanding of Scripture and how God really relates to us.
- Dying to our sense of Church when we learn of its humanity and imperfection.
- Dying to a relationship when a loved one who has been at the center of our life has died.
- Dying to a marriage when we or our partner abandons it.
- Dying to a son or daughter when they will no longer relate to us.
- Dying to my self-centeredness when I feel called to grow in empathy and compassion for others.
- Dying to my good health when I am advised of some chronic or serious physical condition.
In next week’s Inbox Inspirations, I will try to look at what our faith in the paschal mystery offers us in these death experiences and why it is an essential ingredient of our spiritual wellness.
Father Michael Schleupner
Inspiration for the above from The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I.
Spiritual Wellness - 14 continued
Believe in the Mystery
Dear Friends,
As I said last week, believing in the mystery, the paschal mystery, is essential. It is the mystery of dying and coming to new, fuller, even risen life. This paschal mystery is the core or foundation of our faith. We have just celebrated this in our liturgies of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Again, as last week’s Inbox discussed, we all have dyings, death experiences in our lives. How are we to deal with these? What does the risen Christ or the paschal mystery offer us in these experiences? To answer this, let’s look to what the first disciples experienced and did following the death of Jesus.
- On that first Good Friday and the days right after that, they were grieving terribly, feeling heartbroken and lost.
- On that first Easter Sunday, they were uplifted, but they were still feeling empty and confused even after hearing reports that Jesus had risen and even after experiencing him alive in a different way.
- In the forty days after the resurrection, they continued grieving their loss while also trying to accept their new and different relationship with Jesus.
- When Jesus ascended into heaven, they had no choice but to let go of their past experience of Jesus who had told them not to hold on to him.
- And finally, at Pentecost, they received a new Spirit for the life that they were already beginning to live.
I wonder if we, in the death experiences we have, can identify with the first disciples. Maybe we have similar feelings. Maybe we go through a similar process with those feelings. The question then is: what helps us to deal with these feelings and come to a new spirit or be open to the Spirit for living? I am thinking of three helps that may be needed.
- We need to maintain some personal prayer. We need to keep talking with God and listening to allow God to speak to us.
- We need to maintain communion with God, with Christ through Communion. Holy Communion, the Eucharist, is a strong, maybe indispensable support for coming to new life.
- Last, we need the symbol of the cross or the crucifix. This needs to have a primary place in our physical, mental, and spiritual vision. It keeps us connected with the One who died and then rose from the dead.
These are my thoughts on how we can live the paschal mystery even now, during the course of our lives. Believing in this is an essential ingredient to our spiritual wellness.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
Inspiration for the above from The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I.
April 19, 2023
Spiritual Wellness – Conclusion
Dear Friends,
This series of columns on Spiritual Wellness began on January 4. I have proposed fourteen ingredients as being essential for spiritual wellness. As stated at the beginning, these are obviously written from a Christian perspective. Believers in other faith traditions might cite different ingredients for spiritual wellness.
Also, there might be other ingredients that should be listed here. There is no claim that this list is exhaustive. However, at this moment it does seem to me that the list is rather comprehensive.
Because of the unusual length of this series, I want to conclude today by listing these fourteen ingredients and making a request of you, the reader.
The ingredients are:
1. Stay centered on Jesus.
2. See yourself as beloved.
3. Make time to pray.
4. Live an inner life.
5. See yourself as you are.
6. Look beyond yourself.
7. Be thankful.
8. Be faithful.
9. Maintain a balance.
10.Belong to a community.
11.Appreciate beauty.
12.Be open.
13.Be humble.
14.Believe in the mystery.
I recommend that we use the above in examining our own spiritual life. See if these ingredients are present or are sufficiently present. Our answers may give us the direction for spiritual growth to which God is now calling us.
Fr. Michael Schleupner
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