Men's Rites of Initiation in Genesis

One of the cornerstones of men's spirituality throughout history is liminal, threshold experiences where a man is forced to face his own mortality before he can fully become a man and be a true leader. The man must be challenged to face face his own limits, his shadow side, and even the reality of his own death. This is true of the modern men's movement today as it was back Deuteronomic times, through organizations like The Warriors and Richard Rohr's Men As Learners and Elders (M.A.L.E.S).

In our biblical history, three examples of this rite of initiation come to mind in the stories of Cain, Jacob, and Moses. Each one is challenged to face possible death and as a result they are drawn into a deeper relationship with God, and a greater understanding of their own inner, spiritual power.

CAIN'S INITIATION - Cain is told demons are croutching outside the door

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field."And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not soe; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

JACOB'S INITIATION - The Lord wrestles with Jacob and injures his hip in the process

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [a] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. (Genesis 32:22-29)

MOSES' INITIATION - The Lord tries to kill Moses, but he is spared because his wife hastily circumcises his son and covers Moses' genitalia with the foreskin of his son.

24 At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} [b] and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. [c] "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said. 26 So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)

27 The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.

29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.(Exodus 4:24-31)

CONCLUSION
While each man's personal battle with God is different, each one grows in wisdom and strength as a result of their liminal, threshold experience. Their call to manhood and mission is sealed as is their inheritance with God.

The Three Sides of the Exodus

Based on the sources used to write the Book of Exodus (Yahwist, Elohist, Priestly), three slightly different versions of the Exodus story can be examined to create fuller understanding of the events portrayed and the God who acted during those events.

TAKE 1: The Song of Miriam on the Exodus (Exodus 15:1-18)

In this version of Exodus, God is presented and praised in a personal, human way. 'The Lord is my strength and my might. This is my God and I will praise him. My father's God, and I will exalt him.' Further, the Lord's strength is demonstrated through his right hand, which shatters the enemy and overthrows adversaries, and his nostrils cause the waters to pile up. In this way, the events of the Exodus are portrayed as a result of God personally interceding on behalf of the Israelites to deliver them from the Egyptians. Finally, after the Exodus, the Lord leads the Israelites in his steadfast love and strength, and plants them on the mountain where he makes his abode, the sanctuary which his hands have established. Meanwhile the Egyptians are separated from God and sink like lead and go down like a stone, while Israel's future opponents, the people of Philistra, Edom, and Moab are dismayed, tremble and melt away in terror and dread. The song gives a very black and white illustration. Yahweh is our/my God and he is not your God. He saves us with his strength and destroys you with that same strength.

TAKE 2: The Old Epic version of Exodus (Exodus 14)

In this version of the Exodus there is a symbolic interplay described between the darkness and light. The Israelites are allowed to pass because of the pillar of cloud which 'lights up the night,' while the Egyptians meet their demise in the natural light (the time between the morning watch and the dawn when the sea returns to its normal depth.) Thus the Lord saved the day from the Egyptians.

All of this occurs despite the Israelites initially fearing the Egyptians who they see when they look over their shoulder. Moses promises the Israelites that the Lord will fight for them and all they have to do is keep still while God’s power delivers them. Finally, as a result of God's deliverance under Moses' leadership, the people believe in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

TAKE 3: The Priestly writings on the Exodus (Exodus 15)

In these writings on the Exodus, the Lord's behavior is strikingly similar to that demonstrated in Genesis 1: (a) the Lord says something and (b) then he does it. For instance, in Genesis, the Lord says (a) let there be light, stars, and sun - - and then (b) it happens, and then God adds that it is good. This same pattern follows when he creates the earth, animals, and then man.

By comparison, in Exodus 15, the Lord says (a) he will harden the Pharoah's heart (1-4) and then (b) he proceeds to do it (8-9). Then the Lord says to Moses (a) 'I will fight for you against the Egyptians', creates the pillar of cloud, then the Egyptians say, (b) 'Let us flee from the Israelites for the Lord is fighting for them.' Also, the same cause and effect scenario happens as the Lord tells Moses to (a) stretch out his hand over the sea, and then (b) the sea parts so that the Israelites may pass - - and again when Moses stretches out his hand over the sea so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians.

At this point in the Exodus it's interesting; however, that Moses becomes a co-creator and co-destroyer on behalf of the Lord. The Lord's mighty power is wielded through Moses' hand. In perspective to the creation story in Genesis 1, God uses his hands to form man from earthen clay, so it is interesting that God now enlists the hands of Moses to carry out his work against the Egyptians.

Ancient Israel in Historical Context

The Promised Land is a central focus of the Bible and is so for Judaism. The land promised to Abraham was known as the land of Canaan. The territory of the ancient Israelites extended from Dan to Beersheba to the Jordan River. The term Israel was used in Genesis, Kings, Chronicles, and Ezekiel to refer to the northern kingdom while the name Judah was used to describe the southern kingdom.

Geographically speaking, there are several sections that make up the land of Israel: the Coastal Plain (the eastern coast of the Mediterranean), the Shephelah (the lower part), the Hill Country of Judah, the Hill Country of Ephraim, the Rift Valley (a natural boundary between Israel and the regions to the east). Jerusalem itself is in the Hill Country of Judah. Finally, the main waterways in the land of Israel are the Sea (or lake) of Galilee, the Jordan River, the Dead Sea (the lowest point on the land mass of the earth.)

Israel experiences two main seasons, a rainy one (from late Fall to early Spring) and a dry one (from late Spring to early Fall). For some biblical writers (as illustrated in Deuteronomy 11.10) the topography of Israel was an ideal climate, providentially given by God. The terrain of Israel was fairly rugged but was quite suitable for growing grain, olives, and grapes - - and for raising sheep and goats. It was a “land flowing with milk and honey” (e.g. milk from the sheep and goats, and the honey that resulted from boiling grapes or dates).

The road systems of Israel included two major arteries, “the way of the sea” and the “King’s Highway.” The “way of the sea,” ran from Egypt north to the land of the Philistines to the south, and through the great Valley of Jezerel, up to the Rift Valley to Hazor and Damascus. Beyond the road systems, different biblical sources give different boundaries for the land of Israel as called out in Genesis 15.18, Deuteronomy 11.24 and six times in Judges 20.1). The changing boundaries are a result of different Deuteronomic writer’s historical points of view and also as a result of the various battles won or lost by Israel with its neighbors.

Overall, the bible is an anthology written over more than a thousand years, thus analysis of it requires knowledge of the historical context in which it was written. The history presented in the first ten books of the Bible is difficult to verify because there are few records from other, non-biblical sources, during the same historical period to verify them. When available archeology and non-biblical texts provide addition historical context to the events recorded in the Bible. Archeology helps set the stage for better understanding the culture, practices, and people living in the times the Deuteronomic authors are writing.

The Debate Over Chicago's Abortion Notification Law

I believe upholding Chicago's Abortion Notification Law is the prudent and compassionate thing to do despite the ACLU's arguments to the contrary.

As you may be aware, the law, originally passed in 1984 and updated in 1995, doesn't require parental consent, but it does require that parents, or adult relatives be notified 48 hours before an abortion for a girl 17 or younger. The real issue, however, I believe is about maintaining some form of accountabilty and support within families. While young men and women these days are choosing to have sex in their early teens, most still live at home with their parents who provide them with food, clothing, and shelter because they are not yet adults. Of course parents should be notified if their daughter is considering having an abortion in the same way the parents would be notified if their daughter is going to borrow the family car. It's that simple.

I'm not sure what ground the ACLU's argument against the law has a foundation to stand on. If a young women is considering the difficult decision of ending an unwanted pregnancy - - of course her family should be notified to provide her with emotional, spiritual, and financial support. If you follow the ACLU's argument, then it would follow that parent's are being cruel by setting curfew's for their children, feeding them broccoli, and telling them to turn off the television to do their homework. Without any accountability to parents all of us would be nothing more than wayward children selfishly living each day to fulfill our rights without any responsibilty to our neighbor or loved ones.

In my opinion, our country has forgotten how important the role of parents is to raising children and shaping the morality and values of our society. Is the ACLU going to step in and raise our children? I don't think so. A young woman needs the love and support of her family to navigate the difficult road of teen pregnancy. The ACLU can't provide this kind of support, only a family can.

The Divided Kingdom

The book of Kings was written in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. As such, the northern kingdom is represented very negatively. The Deuteronomic Historians who wrote 1 Kings relied on royal annals and prophetic legends as their sources. Their main theme in writing was to communicate the obligation of Israel to observe the teachings of Moses, especially the worship of Yahweh. Failure to observe this obligation or covenant would result in divine punishment.

According to the prophets featured in 1 Kings, historical events are divinely controlled. These predictions are made by the prophets: Ahijah, Jehu, Elijah, and Elisha. They predict everything from punishment of Solomon to the deaths of Ahab and Jezebel, to the defeat of Israel in battle. In all situations the reason for this punishment is said to be the failure of Israel to observe the teachings of Moses, especially worshiping other gods.

As eluded to earlier, most of the prophetic judgments have to do with the northern kingdom of Israel. The northern kingdom was viewed as a moral disaster due to the sins of Jeroboam. In contrast, there are a repeated number of positive statements made about the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem. Thus, 1 Kings reflects an ideologically biased history. The impact of this is far-reaching since the book of Kings was used as a source for other narrative books in the Bible like Chronicles.

Loving Thy Neighbor

As I saw at a meeting of social justice-minded friends this evening, the public more easily understands the need to end gun violence and the killing of the children on the West Side of Chicago than they can understand the need to end abortions. Gun violence is demonstrated on the streets and on front page while abortion happens quietly behind closed doors. The only way we could achieve equal footing on the two issues would be to have the aborted fetuses left on the streets like these poor, innocent children who are shot in gang cross-fire, but that would just be too awful for the public to look at.

That said, fighting on the side of justice IS the right thing to do whether you are working to stop wars, stopping nuclear proliferation in to Iran, or trying to reduce or stop abortions in America. The issue(s) will never be black and white, always gray. No social justice cause is more important than another social justice cause. That's why God gave us all different gifts and passions because if we actually used all these gifts and passions then we'd be able to eradicate all of the injustices on earth (or so you would think).

Jesus wants us to love God, love neighbor, and love others as he has loved us. This is key because Jesus didn't say we were supposed to end abortion or end wars in our lifetime. He just wants us to be love in the world - - and by doing so - - end violence against God and against neighbor in the world in all its forms. This is what working for the Kingdom of God is all about.

The Wedding at Cana

As I was praying the Rosary today and was meditating on the Wedding at Cana and I had a symbolic realization about Jesus' actions I never thought of before. If you remember the story, Mary, Jesus, and his family are participating in the celebration at a local wedding and the host runs out of wine. So Mary takes Jesus aside and asks him to do something about it and Jesus' response is, "Woman, how does this concern me." We don't know what other conversation they shared or what expectations Mary had of Jesus, all we know is that Mary responded by telling the servants at the wedding to "Do whatever he tells you to do."

In this conversation, you can just feel the tension going on between the two of them. Oh to have been a fly on the wall! Is Mary annoyed with Jesus? Is she pushing Jesus to do a miracle? Does she know he can do miracles? Why is she choosing this circumstance for a miracle? Is she fed up with him at age 30 still living at home as a carpenter when she knows he is called by God to be so much more?

Whatever the case, I think there is something is something especially symbolic about what Jesus does after Mary's request. Jesus tells the servants to fill the ceremonial washing jars with water and brings the jars to the host to serve to the guests -- only to find that the water turns to wine -- and very good wine at that to the surprise of the hosts and the servants!

In my opinion, not only does this event symbolize the start of Jesus' ministry but it also symbolizes the end of the legalistic emphasis of the Jewish faith (e.g. ceremonial washings) and begins the sacrificial walk Jesus will make to his death on the cross, dying for our sins. Jesus turns the water into wine at Cana, and three years later, as the sacrifical lamb at the Last Supper, the wine at the Passover meal will symbolize his own blood.

So on the surface, while the miracle at Cana, looks initially like a gratuitous miracle, it is in fact a foreshadowing of what Jesus will accomplish with his ministry. He will chastise the Pharisees and Scribes for practicing their faith primary as obedience to the Law, then also open the hearts of his followers to live in the Spirit of their faith (e.g. the Beatitudes).

"Bubble Zone" inflated by political fear

I've been listening to the recent "bubble zone" debate in Chicago, related to restricting the movement of pro-life counselors and prayer teams around area abortion clinics, and I think what's been missed in all this debate is that the pro-life agenda in my experience isn't really about yelling at or harassing people at or outside abortion clinics. Unfortunately a few bad apples have ruined the perception of what ACTUALLY happens outside the clinics on behalf of the unborn.

People show up at these clinics to pray, sing, and council women because they love life, they love God, and they love babies. This isn't about hate and harassment. That is the frame that Planned Parenthood (and now the Chicago City Council) has put around the debate, but it's not true. Has anyone who's commented on this debate actually gone to an abortion clinic to observe what happens outside?

We live in a country unfortunately where fear tactics work. It worked during the Cold War, it worked after 911 and it works now as part of the abortion and free speech debate. Planned Parenthood is afraid of losing business, they are afraid of violence, and they are afraid of any inroads that the pro-life movement makes - - but the pro-life movement doesn't want to harm or kill anybody - - that's the whole paradox here. Pro-life means pro-life. The goal is to save lives. A couple of wackos shoot a doctor in Kansas or bomb an abortion clinic and now we have to assume that EVERY pro-life counselor or person holding a Rosary outside a clinic is some kind of terrorist.

The facts are that no one in Chicago has been physically assaulted or harmed outside an abortion clinic. Words have been exchanged, emotions have flared, by no one has been harmed. The facts are also that police regularly observe pro-lifers outside clinics in Chicago but have arrested or cited no one. So why do we need an ordinance to legally restrict behavior that the Chicago police have not even found to be problematic? No arrests have been made. No citations or warnings have been issued.

The reality is that it's a about fear and using the fear to move a legislative agenda that Planned Parenthood has talked the Mayor and the City Council into before it ever came to a vote (e.g. "Wouldn't it just be safer for all of us if we just passed this ordinance? The last thing we want is violence right? You know how unruly those pro-lifers are? Mr. Mayor of course your remember how embarassing the 1968 convention was for your father. The last thing we want is for that to happen to you, right?")

So yes, there will be a debate and legal challenge to this ordinance, and yes, that's important - - but the fact of the matter is that this ordinance cannot break the spirit of pro-life counselors and prayer groups. As Jesus said, "Perfect love casts out all fear." We still love babies, we still love the people who work at Planned Parenthood, we still love women who are struggling with an unwanted pregnancies, and we still love Eric Zorn, the Mayor, and the City Council.

Fear and fearful ordinances cannot break our spirit. We're going to keep on working on behalf of life because it's about building up the Kingdom of God not the kingdom of Chicago or Planned Parenthood. So you can call us yahoos, but we'll love you anyway. And our greatest hope is that someday people will see babies as the gift they are from God, not an inconvenience that should be squashed and swept under a rug at an abortion clinic. We are made by God to be creational beings, why does our society want to deny this gift?

Valor in the Line of Duty?

I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a Chicago City Council meeting today. The meeting began with Mayor Daley presenting awards of valor to a Chicago policeman and firemen for performing above and beyond the call in the line of duty, saving lives during particularly dangerous situations. I give thanks for the men and women who serve our City in this manner each day.

Later in the City Council meeting, however, demonstration of valor was replaced by fear when Chicago's aldermen voted 27-11 in favor of a "Disorderly Conduct" ordinance proposed by aldermen Tom Tunney and Vi Daley. The ordinance is meant to create a "safety bubble" around workers and clients at Chicago-area abortion clinics so that they are "protected" from pro-life prayer teams and counselors who try to engage them in conversation about life and choice when they enter or exit abortion clinics.

This ordinance clearly violates the first amendment rights of abortion counselors and prayer teams, but it also minimizes the valor of what these pro life activists are trying to do - - save lives! Like the policemen and firemen who were recognized at the top of the City Council meeting, these men and women are "peace officers" and "life savers."

Clearly the fear of having the difficult discussion about abortion in a public place, and the fear that these counselors and prayer teams are actually hurting Planned Parenthood's business is what has driven this ordinance to a vote today. And that is just plain sad. What if the same fear caused our police and firemen NOT to respond to a call in a dangerous situation or a bad neighborhood. Would we find those actions worthy of valor?

It is sad that this ordinance was passed by the City Council today, but it's even sadder that the valor of the "life-saving" efforts of the men and women who pray and council women considering abortion are not honored by our City, but instead are looked down upon and fearfully restricted by our government and powerful businesses lobbies like Planned Parenthood. If we don't look out for the least of our brothers and sisters in Chicago, who will? Abortion and the protection of abortion "rights" is not the answer. Love, mercy, compassion and valor in all its "life-saving" forms is the answer.

Please call Mayor Daley at 312.744.3300 and ask him to veto this ordinance so that it does not become law.

A Covenant Relationship

The use of the verb "to know" in Old Testament scripture has relevance to both the Sinai covenant--as well as the connotation of sexual intimacy in a marriage, according to biblical scholar Michael Coogan. On the one hand, the verb is as technical term used in ancient treaties for mutual recognition by both parties of their obligations to each other, and on the other hand is can demonstrate literally or metaphorically that the relationship between the two parties is one of love. This use of the verb, “to know” is used throughout the Bible, according to Coogan, from Deuteronomy 9.24 and 2 Samuel 7.20, to 1 Kings 5.1 where Hiram, the king of Tyre, “loves” David, the king of Israel who is his treaty partner.

The marriage covenant was another analogue used by the biblical writers to describe the relationship between Yahweh, the husband, and Israel, the wife. Thus, the use of the terms contract (berit), love, and knowledge all become interchangeable metaphors as if they were part of an Algebra equation. Love is a contract and a contract implies love. Love implies sexual knowledge of a spouse, and sexual knowledge implies love. A contract implies a sexual relationship and a sexual relationship implies a contract.

The sexual aspects of a covenant relationship are exemplified in prophetic works like Hosea where Yahweh knew Israel as a covenant partner (suzerain) or spouse. In Hosea 6.6 Yahweh complains about Israel’s failure to live up to its obligations, “I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Steadfast love translates as hesed, which is the mutual love of parties in a married relationship or treaty relationship. Thus, as a covenant relationship, Yahweh expected love and knowledge from Israel, and this love was enduring despite Israel’s repeated infidelities by worshiping other gods.

This metaphor of Yahweh having a marriage covenant with Israel is also illustrated in other sections of the Old Testament like Proverbs 2.17, Malachi 2.14, Jeremiah 2.2; 3.1-5, Isaiah 5.1-7; 62.5, and Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 16 and 23 the metaphor of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife is illustrated, similar to how it is used in Hosea. “How sick is your heart, says the Lord God, that you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen whore; building your platform at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square!” (Ezekiel 16.30). The naming of Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife and whore reflects the patriarchal society in which women were property, and where violence against adulterous women was acceptable. Thus, Yahweh is jealous, possessive husband who sees Jerusalem as a wayward wife who must be punished. “I will satisfy my fury upon you, and my jealousy shall turn away from you; I will be calm, and will be angry no longer.” (Ezekiel 16.42).

In Amos 3.1-2, the prophet passes judgment on Israel in the name of Yahweh, saying, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.” Yahweh knew Israel as a covenant partner and spouse (or suzerain), thus, Israel had a unique obligation to Yahweh, especially after being rescued from slavery in Egypt. The “love” relationship of this covenant is demonstrated in Deuteronomy 6.4 when the Moses says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. “

The meaning of this marriage covenant in Amos includes not only the obligation to love and worship Yahweh, but also to love of fellow Israelites. By breaking this primary covenant with God, the curses attached to the covenant will be executed, “Woe to those who are ease in Zion. And to those who feel secure on Mount Samaria … See, the Lord commands and the great house shall be shattered to bits, and the little house to pieces” (Amos 6.1, 6.11).

The Writings, Part 2

Wisdom Literature
This literature, written during the third millennium BCE, is concerned with the realities of human experience from the mundane to the sublime, and with the relationship between that experience and the divine.

One example of the genre of Wisdom literature is Proverbs. Proverbs are short sayings that express insight into ordinary life in human experience. Proverbs often reflect a kind of folk wisdom preserved in the royal courts. The story of the wronged courtier is common to this type of literature. Also, the Proverbs are often presented using a relational metaphor such as father/son, teacher/student, or master/apprentice.

The books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes share a concern with the present and are largely focused on the human condition as it is actually experienced, though they rarely make explicit reference to the main events and personality of Israel’s history and ancestors, prophets, or kings. Much of the Wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible is attributed to Solomon, just as many of the Psalms are attributed to David. This attribution to Solomon is supported by his reputation as an exceedingly wise ruler, as illustrated in the number of passages in 1 Kings which says, “He composed three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five.”

The Writings, Part 1

In the Jewish tradition, the third part of the Bible is known as the "Writings." They include: Chronicles, Ruth, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, 1-2 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, Jonah, and Daniel.

Chronicles
Chronicles is an interpretive history of Israel with a broad chronological scope, extending from Adam to the Persian period. This work is the final book of the Hebrew Bible, though the Chronicler barely mentions the principal events described in the first five books of the Bible (nor the books of Joshua, Judges, and 1 Samuel).
Chronicles focuses almost exclusively on the kingdom of Judah from David to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. The principal source of Chronicles is Deuteronomistic History, especially 2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings, reflecting a common practice of the time for authors to use freely from another author's work. The Chronicler was also familiar with the Pentateuch as one of his sources, as well as some other biblical sources which no longer exist. In some cases, however, the Chronicler often provides details that are not found elsewhere in the Bible. In the whole, Chronicles is a truly independent work, not just a revision of existing Deuteronomistic History.
Chronicles was likely written in the late fifth or fourth century BCE, before Hellenization made an impact. Little direct evidence in the book enables scholars to determine the social and historical context of its author, or of the events that may have impacted.

The content of Chronicles begins first with a summary of ancestral genealogies, and then shifts to relay a narrative of David and his anointing as king of all Israel. The Chronicler consistently shows David in a positive light as King and presents the perspective that Israel was always a unified entity. Thus, the Chronicler uses a bit of a revisionist history, editing his sources to support his ideological perspective of a unified Israel. His overall perspective is that Israel was best led by pious rulers who were faithful to the commandments given by God through Moses and united in worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. He takes this approach to provide a compelling model for the restored community of his day.

The Psalms
The Book of Psalms is the longest Book in the Bible with 150 chapters and five parts. Scholars believe David wrote the first 72 chapters of the Psalms, and, though the remaining 78 are attributed to him, they were likely penned by different authors -- making the work an anthology. In this way, David is the presumed author of many of the Psalms just as Moses is presented as the author of Israel's legal tradition. In their content, the Psalms are also an affirmation of David's reputation as a poet and a musician as well as his origination of the Temple's elaborate system of worship.

In their approach, the Psalms use "parallelism" as their primary poetic device. This technique is a kind of thought rhyme in which an idea is developed through the use of repetition, synonyms, or opposites. As a whole, the Psalms have been classified into several different types:
Individual laments, Communal laments, Individual songs of trust, Individual songs of thanksgiving, Communal songs of thanksgiving, Hymns of divine kinship, Creation hymns, Hymns celebrating divine actions in Israel's history, Hymns concerning the renewal of Israel's covenant with God, Liturgies, Royal Psalms, Hymns concerning the Davidic covenant, Zion hymns, Pilgrimage hymns, Torah Psalms, and Wisdom Psalms.

For the most part, the Psalms are difficult to date and lack contextual specifics, which paradoxically is part of their broad appeal. They are concerned with the fundamental aspects of the human condition and can be appropriated to prayer at different times and circumstances.

Seeing with new eyes

I was blessed to accept two new gifts into my life today, my new kitten, Iggy and a first grade class of new catechists at St. Clement. Eyes filled with curiosity and wonder. Hearts not shy about asking questions like, "How old are you, and are you married?" Playfulness that comes as naturally as being alive. Climbing furniture just because you can, and squeezing you body behind hard to reach places just to see if you can fit in there.

I'm looking forward to letting the eyes of a child (and a kitten) show me things I hadn't seen before, but were always there. I'm looking forward to being asked questions I can't answer. I'm looking forward to letting my heart grow in love and appreciation for these new creatures of God in my life and the God who made them.

In Luke 18:17, Jesus says,"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." And in Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I've always understood these scriptures but it's hard to truly "get" them as an adult unless you have a child or children in your life. Our adult world and way of being can be so serious and boring, frankly. I think what Jesus means that he wants us to be "like a child" and receive him with an open heart that loves without inhibition, caution, shame, or fear. He wants us to have an unguarded, accepting heart that expects love, not hurt or rejection. This his hard to do!

We've all had our hearts broken at one time or another, whether it be from a relationship or job gone bad. It takes courage to step up to bat again with an open heart after you've been wounded time and time again. That's what makes Jesus' words so challenging. It takes faith I guess. To trust like a child, to love like a child, to notice things, to ask questions, and enjoy life rather than fret about it.

Was there Sex in the Garden?

The second aspect of Genesis, which the authors of “The Uncensored Bible,” explore, is whether or not Adam and Eve were sexually active in the Garden, or just became aware of and practiced their sexuality after leaving the Garden. Looking at Genesis 2:25, Adam and Eve were naked but unashamed before eating the forbidden fruit. After the fruit was eaten, however, they realized they were naked. So the authors suggest that once Adam and Eve realized that they were naked, their sexuality was aroused and they probably had sexual intercourse (though there is obviously not any explicit proof of this in the Bible.)

According to a theory proposed by biblical scholar, Jacob Milgrim, which the authors explore, Adam and Eve must have had sexual intercourse before they were expelled from the Garden and before they felt the shame for their bodies that caused them to cover themselves with fig leaves.

As we know from Genesis 3:13, God discovered Adam and Eve’s disobedience to his command that they not eat from the tree of good and evil, and punished them. The authors suggest that perhaps one of the reasons God later made clothes for them in Genesis 3:20, was to curb their sexual interest and arousal for each other. If we take the author’s argument at face value, perhaps this may explain the widespread Catholic guilt and shame about sex that has pervaded Church followers for hundreds of years (e.g. sex is bad, the flesh and body is bad, and one should feel shame for being naked and having sex).

Does “Knowing” Someone Equal sex?
The first time the Bible refers to Adam and Eve having sexual intercourse, occurs after God expels them from the Garden. “Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain.” In this context, the passage suggests that the two had sexual relations only after they were ejected from the Garden. Looking at Hebrew meaning of the verb, “to know,” Milgrim and the authors argue that not only does the verb refer to the occurrence of sexual relations, but the tense of the verb suggests that Adam “knew” or “had known” his wife so there is a good chance that Adam and Even had sexual relations before leaving the Garden. (This concept could parallel the ideas of John Paul II on sex as a creational gift from God, rather than the sinful, recreational act is has been viewed as since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden.)

The Pangs of Childbirth
Looking at Genesis 3:16, Milgrim points out that the punishment laid on Eve significantly increased her pain in childbirth, which implies that she already had the potential to bare children before being expelled from the Garden. He also suggests that it was only after eating the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness and sexuality and became sexually aroused.

Milgrim’s opinion clashes with that of St. Augustine. The doctrine of original sin was proposed by Augustine based on his interpretation of the Garden of Eden. Augustine believed Eve was created for the purpose of having babies so it is conceivable that Adam and Eve had sexual relations in the Garden because that was the purpose for which Eve was created.

Augustine also thought that lust was the original sin, which resulted from Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, and this sin was consequently passed on to all newborn babies. So it is possible according to both Milgrim and Augustine that Adam and Eve had sex before original sin manifested itself through the eating of the forbidden fruit.

The authors argue then that lustful sexual thoughts and actions were absent from Adam and Eve’s behavior before they ate the fruit. I would propose, however, that it is entirely possible that Adam and Eve had NO sex drive (healthy or unhealthy) in the Garden, and only after eating from the tree and leaving the Garden did they have “knowledge” of either their individual or shared sexuality.

The authors note a possible objection to Milgrim’s thesis, pointing out that God prohibited the eating of the forbidden fruit before Eve was created, so why would God have been concerned about Adam’s “knowledge of sex” when there was no one yet for him to have sex with?

Milgrim argues that the ability to have sex is a creative/creational force that, as a result of the Fall, allows Adam and Eve to now “be like God.” This argument can be backed up with the words of Eve who says, after giving birth to Cain, “I have acquired a man with Yahweh.”

Parallels to The New Eve
We can see parallels to sex being equal to “knowing” someone in the New Testament when we Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel says in Luke 1:31, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” And Mary responds by saying, “How can this be since I don’t know man (or since I am a virgin)?” In this context (as in the Genesis story), Mary is suggesting she has not yet had sexual intercourse with her fiancé, Joseph. To which Gabriel says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child will be called Son of God,” and Mary responds by saying, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Knowledge is Good?

After eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge in Genesis 3:6, did Adam and Eve develop a conscience and suddenly became responsible for their moral choices? Were they now able and obliged to reason and make moral decisions unlike the other animals in the Garden? This is one of the perspectives offered by Bible scholars, Kalter, McKenzie, and Kilpatrick propose in their book, The Uncensored Bible.

The authors suggest that use of the phrase, “knowledge of good and evil” in Genesis means that by eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Even unleashed not just the sinful attributes of “being like gods,” but also the positive attributes of humanity’s full potential to know, learn, explore and cultivate wisdom. To me it sounds like a bit like putting a positive spin on a bad situation, but the authors argue that human beings were not meant to live in paradise so this rebellion by Adam and Eve was inevitable. They suggest that by design, humans need challenges to face, problems to fix, and sense of purpose. So the Adam and Eve story, in their view, demonstrates humanity’s need for purpose and how that purpose is explored and fulfilled.

The authors suggest that the actions that led to original sin were a basically a tradeoff. By eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve lost immortality for themselves and us, but gained a measure of self-determination, the ability to learn and explore and understand and enhance life. They were no longer naïve, dependant, children held in the blissful, protective comfort of God’s Garden sanctuary, but were now adults living in a world where their fate was uncertain, but their ability to reason and adjust to the circumstances was now stimulated and engaged.

I think the authors have oversimplified the impact of Adam and Eve’s rebellion in Genesis. Before the Fall they only had one choice, to love and serve God by being the authentic persons he made them to be. After the Fall, they now HAD to reason about right and wrong when making choices in how to live. By eating the forbidden fruit they now had to accept both the rights and responsibilities of their newfound ability to reason. Prior to their rebellion, all of their choices were Godly choices so there was no need for them to reason. As Adam and Eve learned, the veil of sin makes it more challenging to consistently make Godly choices.

Make a Joyful Noise!

I've always loved reading and praying the Psalms. They seem like bite-sized prayers on the kind of topics our hearts yearn to talk to God about: Joy, Forgiveness, Thanksgiving, Deliverance, Fear, Betrayal, Blessing, Praise, Worship, and Human Weakness.

The Psalms unite us with the power of our long faith tradition. Every time I pray a Psalm, I am blown away by the fact that King David and the people of Israel also have held this same prayer in their hands and their hearts. The prayer unites me with God as well as the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before me.

I'm also inspired by the kinship the Psalms have to music. As a singer/songwriter I identify with King David, setting prayers to music and experiencing the joy of how music touches our minds, bodies, and hearts. I can just picture David writing and performing these Psalms for the people of Israel with joyful exuberance:

- Psalm 47:1, "Shout God-songs at the top of your lungs!"
- Psalm 95:1, "Come, let's shout praises to God, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let's march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns!"
- Psalm 98:4, "Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band!"
- Psalm 27:6, "I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy"
- Psalm 98:1, "O sing to the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things"
- Psalm 33:3, "Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy."
- Psalm 84:2, "My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God."
- Psalm 68:25 "the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines."
- Psalm 95:1, "O come let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!"
- Psalm 149:1-3, "Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp."
- Psalm 150:3-6, "Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals,praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD."

How can you not picture a Holy Spirit hootenanny celebration when you read these words? It's like a giant divine feedback loop of praise to God: the Holy Spirit inspires the writer to write the music, worshipers perform the music, and God is praised by the music. No wonder music during the celebration of the Mass helps us "feel" Holy and a mass without music can feel a little meditative and flat.

I've also had the experience, however, of writing spiritual music when I've felt despair like King David in Psalm 51 or like Paul and Silas in Acts, praising God while in prison. For me it happened while driving around the city. Mary came to me through the Holy Spirit and lifted me up to put her Magnificat to music, "The Lord has done great things for us and hallowed be his name!"

There is a sense of catharsis or emotional cleansing that happens when we sing in the midst of our despair. By praising the Lord in the storm one is humbled to say, "I'm really down in the dumps right now Lord, but I know that you are Lord of all things so I praise you for your glory, and know that you will not abandon me."

Praising God in the storm reminds us to take the focus off of ourselves and put it back on God. It's about him, not us. Our suffering may not go away immediately but we know (like the people of Israel) that he has delivered us before and he will deliver us again, so we pray with confidence despite our despair.

This pattern is demonstrated in Psalm 3 where King David's prayer flows from initial despair, "O Lord how many are my foes! Many are rising against me," to confidence, "I wake again for the Lord sustains me,"to finally thanksgiving, "For you strike my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. Deliverance belongs to the Lord."

In New Testament worship this is the same idea of "offering up" prayers to Jesus and asking for his strength and mercy in our weakness. We know we can't bear this suffering ourselves, but when connected to the wounds of Jesus, we find strength, hope, and meaning. There is "power in the blood of the lamb."

Nature as a Mirror of God's Love

Like St. Frances I have a love of nature and this love feeds me both physically and spiritually. If you think about it, the world we live in IS nature, but being in a place like Chicago we’ve created so many brick and concrete structures that we’ve crowded out nature to some extent, so we have to intentionally go out and find time and space to BE in nature.

Nature is a mirror of God’s creation and love for us. It surrounds us, it invites us, it comforts us, it wows us, and challenges us. I love:

- Walking through the neighborhood garden down the street and seeing the flowers, plants, and trees reaching up to the sky for sunlight.

- Strolling down to the river to meditate on the rippling water, watching the ducks paddle by. I’m often drawn to reciting Psalm 23, “Beside restful waters he leads me. He refreshes my soul.”

- Hiking, fishing, biking, sailing, and camping in nature.

These experiences make me feel the reality of being surrounded by God’s love. They open my heart, make me smile, and put me at ease and full acceptance as God’s beloved.

Being in nature reminds me that it’s not all about me, but it’s about God. He created the world and all it’s wonders. Nature distracts me with its beauty, putting me in touch with the creator, and taking the focus off my self.

When I do have to work, I love working in my office sunroom because the sun, trees, blue skies, and the sound of street life below surround me.

Being in nature to me is like going to church. I can feel the tender hand of God through the Holy Spirit. In a sense it’s an opportunity for God to show off and say, “Do you see how beautiful this world is that I made for you? How can you doubt that I love you?”

Nature is a gift from God, a reflection of his love for us, and a demonstration of his ever-present goodness as the architect of life.

We are workers, not master builders

On the last Habitat for Humanity project I worked on in Pontotoc, Mississippi our team had a lot of fun and accomplished a lot by our efforts, but we were left with a feeling of incompleteness at the end of the project. All we did was roof a house, paint the house, and frame out some of the home’s interior. None of the interior walls or duct-work, however, was completed. The house looked nice from the outside, but we knew there was so much more we could have done had we had more time.

This bothered a couple of us because during previous summers we had renovated complete homes and had a real sense of satisfaction from a job well done. It was hard leaving Mississippi knowing that we hadn’t finished the job, and this emotion surprised us.

What we learned was, as disciples, our role is not to finish the job. We are just called to participate, use our gifts, do our best, and leave the results up to God. This isn’t always easy to accept, but it’s all we have. It’s not about our legacy, it’s about Christ’s legacy in building the kingdom.

This experience reminds me of the famous reflection attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero who says:

"We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that the kingdom always
lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession
brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives include everything.

This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one
day will grow. We water the seeds already planted
knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations
that will need further development. We provide yeast
that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of
liberation in realizing this. This enables us to do
something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity
for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may
never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not
messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own."

You Always Have the Poor with You, But You Will Not Always Have Me

It was late in the evening and I had just finished withdrawing $40 from the ATM at Walgreens at the corner of North Avenue and Wells. It’s a bustling street corner surrounded by a McDonalds, a Starbucks, and the Second City Theatre. Weeks before I had challenged myself by deciding, whenever someone asks me for money on the street I’m going to give them all of the money I’ve got in my wallet - - just to see if I can do it - - to see if I can live radically as a Christian. So as I exit through the revolving doors to the street corner, a man in a wheel chair meets me as I attempt to cross Wells Street and make my way home on the El. He asks me, “Can you help me out. I need some money for a place to sleep.” I respond by saying, “Sure.” He says, “I need $80 for a room up the street. I wanna get me a shower and a change of clothes.” I take a deep breath and proceed to give him the $40 I just got from the ATM. I can’t believe I’m doing this. He takes the money and says, “Is that all you got, I need $80 for the room?” I smile and tell him, “Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.”

When I decided to try and radically put my faith into action I had no idea what was going to happen. I figured I would give an occasional buck or two to the homeless as I went about my way each day, but I never figured I’d be asked to give one guy $40 and then have him still be unsatisfied that it wasn’t enough. There was obviously something bigger going on here than I realized. I wasn’t being called to fix this man’s situation of poverty; I was just being called to try. I was being called to be a disciple.

Come Follow Me ...

Over the past five years I have been blessed with the opportunity to twice visit my churches’ sister parish in San Salvador, called Veinte Dos De Abril. I decided to go on these trips with my church group for a couple of reasons: (1) I had never been to Central America, (2) I was intrigued by the fact that we weren’t going there to dig ditches or build houses, but to live in community with our hosts, and (3) to learn about the social and financial trials the people of El Salvador have endured over the last 50 years.

Looking back on the experience now, our group wasn’t exactly going to El Salvador as tourists, not as pilgrims, nor as relief workers. We went to El Salvador as disciples. In the same way that Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors and shared intimate moments with adulterers and lepers - - we were going to eat, talk, and sleep in the homes of our Salvadoran guests. We didn’t have a messiah complex that we were there to show them how cultured, educated, and wealthy we were - - we were there to be humble, listen, observe, live simply and just be present. This is the type of friend I imagine Jesus being to others in his day: an intent listener with bright eyes who is present and absorbed in the conversation at hand, making those present feel like they are the most important person in the room whatever their race, age, sex, or personal history might be.

As Lawrence Cunningham talks about, the goal of discipleship is to follow the person of Jesus in his highs and lows, ups and downs, in community, in the desert, and in the Eucharist. It’s funny, however, because the only specifics Jesus gives us in this walk is to: “follow me,” “obey the commandments,” and “love one another as I have loved you.” For example, when the rich man asks Jesus, “What must I do to have eternal life,” Jesus says, “Sell everything you own and come follow me.” So it’s really that simple to be a disciple, but we make it more difficult on ourselves because of our many possessions and worries.

In this context, my visits to El Salvador taught me something I didn’t expect. I didn’t have to DO anything necessarily to be a disciple, I just had to BE - - and by BEING, I was making a statement in my solidarity with the Salvadoran people and their struggle for social justice. As Cunningham says, “The disciple of Jesus follows the person, and in following the person, the teachings and the deeds make sense.” During my trips to El Salvador, I visited sweatshops where workers were paid 60 cents an hour to make Lands End T-shirts, subsistence farms where farmers were taught the basics of crop rotation, a university where Jesuit priests were martyred, and a memorial to the thousands of men and women who were murdered in the 1980s and ‘90s by government troops. In all these travels and experiences I was a witness to the paschal mystery playing out in the lives of the Salvadoran people up to the present day. I wasn’t necessarily DOING anything, but the Holy Spirit was DOING its work in me and my heart, growing my love and compassion for the people I met and was living in community with.

Following my first trip to El Salvador, I read an intriguing book called, Memories in Mosaic, about the life and death of Archbishop Oscar Romero. Being present to Romero’s story and my own personal experience in El Salvador inspired me to write a song about the struggle of the Salvadoran people in the ‘80s and ‘90s, called “The Streets of El Salvador.” I was grateful for the privilege of performing that song last time I was in San Salvador at our final community gathering in Veinte Dos De Abril. Other actions I’ve taken in response to my experience on these trips are to share my story with others, invite others to participate, and sponsor and exchange letters with a 6 year old child in El Salvador through Compassion International.

The mailbox was empty ...

In the middle of summer in rural Oklahoma, one thing you don't want to be doing is roofing a house in 100 degree heat, but that's where me and eight of my friends from Charis Ministries found ourselves a couple of years ago. We had committed to spending three days painting, roofing, and cleaning the weathered home of a man named Herbert from Idabel who we had met through the local Glenmary priest.

It obviously was hard work, but what was apparent to all of us was that this house we were working on would easily be considered a "tear-down" back in the Chicago neighborhoods we lived in. So what were we doing? We we honoring this man by giving him a couple more useful years of shelter in this old home? Were we just doing it for the sake of doing good, or satisfying our own pride? Or was this really just a waste of time?

I pondered this question over the three days we were working. I had done Habitat-like projects in Chicago over the years, but this was the first time I'd done a similar project in another state or country. I think my friend Dave talked me into making the road trip with him, and I think the road trip from Chicago was what initially captured my interest.

As we worked, it became apparent to me that this frail house filled with many possessions (both in the house and strewn about the yard) was a symbol of the man who lived inside it. When we first drove up and introduced ourselves to Herbert, he barely cracked the door to say hello. He was a quiet, solitary man. As the days progressed, however, we got to know and see more and more of Herbert. Little by little, he learned our names, watched us work, and ultimately invited us in.

With every nail we drove into the roof, and with every brush-stroke of paint we covered the house with, we were ministering to Herbert. We were being drawn into intimacy with him. As we carefully mended the whole in his roof, we were mending Herbert and putting our hands into his wounds. As we cleared the broken machinery and trash from his yard, we were clearing out the old, lost dreams and making room for new ones. And ultimately when he invited us into his hot, cluttered, cockroach-infested home, he was being entirely vulnerable with us about who he was and asking us to accept him on those terms without fear or judgment.

On a personal level I was able to connect with Herbert on two occasions. One day, as I was getting ready to haul a load of trash to the county dump, I paused to watch Herbert go to his mailbox. He walked across his lawn to the road, opened the hinged door to the mailbox and peered inside, only to find the mailbox empty. I'm sure this kind of situation happens every day, but I was struck by the look of loneliness on Herbert's face that he longed to be in relationship with someone who knew him and cared enough to send him a letter to say hello. "Boy the kids sure are getting big these days, you should come pay us a visit soon," or "Your cousin Joanne is getting married this fall, and we hope you can make it." Some kind of hope that his life mattered to someone besides himself as the hours turned into days, and the days grew into weeks, and the weeks marched into years.

The second connection I had with Herbert was one day he asked me to go fishing with him. Wow, I thought, that would be fun, but the reason we're here is to repair your house. I can't just ditch my co-workers to go fishing. So this struck me as a Mary vs. Martha moment. This man wanted to hang out with me and go fishing, but my preoccupation was with the repairs and being a team player. So I brushed off his invitation and kept working.

On the last day of our visit, we hastily finished painting and roofing Herbert's house in advance of the long drive home the next day. We were all exhausted, dirty, and sunburned, but we were also exhilarated to have accomplished such a difficult task and to have given this tender, caring gift of our time and friendship to Herbert. I won't say that we were buddy-buddy with Herbert when we left that day, but we felt like we had truely ministered to this man, not just cleaned his yard and repaired his house, and the appreciation was mutual.

"I Came that You Might Have Life and Have it More Abundantly."

I've been reflecting on John 10:10 in advance of our iCompass event tomorrow and wanted to share a couple of thoughts. I think we can look at our lives through the lens of this scripture passage and get different answers and perspectives, depending on our life situation.

1. We Are Beloved
First this passage says to me that we are Beloved by God. He wants to give us the gift of abundance if we are open to receiving it. We don't have to earn it. He wants to give it to us freely.

2. Abundance vs. Scarcity
Second, the passage is counter-cultural in telling us that God will satisfy our every need if we remain in relationship with him - - in a relationship where we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God and there is abundance all around us every day. This is counter-cultural to the thinking today that the economy is bad, terrorism is bad, and the financial markets are bad so we better hunker down and take any job we can get and not take any risks and live with a mindset of scarcity until the whole thing blows over.

3. Following the Narrow Gate Gives Us Abundance
While God's love is not conditional, he rewards those who are obedient in following the narrow gate and do not listen to "thieves and robbers." I take this to mean, God rewards those who choose to live Christ-centered lives. This reward is always there if we choose to receive it. Those who get sucked into the culture of death in America and around the world, are unfortunately listening to the lies of the devil. This culture says that you should work to earn an abundant life of possessions here on earth, while Jesus promises us an abundance of treasures from his Father in heaven.

4. We Don't Need to Achieve it Ourselves
So the fine line here is that if we live a life in obedience to Jesus, he provides the abundance. In contrast, our culture tells us to work to earn and save our own abundance and look our for ourselves.

Obviously there is no sin in living an abundant life, but the question is did we earn the abundance or was it a gift from God? Of course we need to participate in the world and share our talents with others, but the end of the day, who gets the glory: us or God. That's where sin comes in, the same self-seeking sin Adam & Eve struggled with in the Garden.

Books like The Secret will tell you that if you just have an abundant, positive mindset every day then good things will come your way. So does that mean that families dying of HIV in Africa, or people in refugee camps in Palestine don't have the right mindset? I don't think so.

5. Finding Abundant Freedom Through the Narrow Gate
The truth about this passage to me seems to be about praising God each day for the good gifts he does give us. Thanks for my good health, thanks for the new job, thanks for the intimacy of a friend, thanks for easing the pain of a terminal illness.

As you can see, one person's abundance, however, is not the same as your next door neighbor's. God does not care about helping us keep up with the Jones'. He cares that we love him, are in relationship with him, thank him, and praise him for the daily gifts he gives us.

Following the "narrow gate" is hard though. And sometimes it sucks. As St. Paul talks about, "We hope in what we cannot see," and "Hope does not disappoint." We hope in Jesus despite the dry, lonely, desolate, painful times in our lives that we can't control.

In John 10:9, Jesus says, "I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture." He wants us to live in the freedom of relationship with him and his Heavenly Father. I think that freedom is the abundance he is talking about. He's not talking about abundant possessions necessarily. He wants us to "have LIFE and have it more abundantly." Amen.

Give to the One Who Asks of You

I stumbled into mass a little late this morning and missed the readings unfortunately, but when I left the church to go home, there was a homeless guy on the steps with his bicycle waiting for me. He said, "I'm Roosevelt and I just came from Pacific Garden Mission and I was wondering if you could help me out. Last week the priest game me $20 bucks. Whattya say?"

So I looked in my wallet and I knew I had $20, but I also knew I had a lunch appointment today and had to go home to get ready for an 11:00 AM meeting downtown. So I said, "I've got some money on me but I need it for lunch today, can I give you my CTA pass instead?" So I handed him my CTA pass which had $3 on it and he took it, but then he said, "I've got my bike, what do I need a CTA pass for?"I responded by saying, "Well if you don't need the pass, then I'll take it back." To which he responded, "What are you, and Indian giver?"

Life is strange. I think what this guy really needed was a hug to know that he was cared for as a beloved son of God, but the exchange challenged me to think about whether I was really serving his need or being selfish.

In the book of Luke, right after teaching us the Lord's Prayer, Jesus says, "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won't give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he won't give him a scorpion, will he?"

The exchange with this homeless man today showed me that both he and I were sinners operating from a belief in the scarcity of the world's resources. Yes, I could/should have been more generous in giving him the $20 he asked for, but when I "gave him a snake instead of a fish," he clung to it as something of value even though it did not serve his need. That's what struck me as I reflected on the incident later in the day. Maybe he used it to barter with someone else for the food he needed?

As I took the El downtown to my meeting, I pulled out the day's mass readings and was convicted as I read the passage from Luke 5:38-42. "Give to the one who asks of you and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow." Wow. Talk about the Holy Spirit hitting you right between the eyes.

The lesson I'll take from this is that I think God wants us to give from our need, not from our want. I wanted to save my money for lunch, but here was a man who needed it and I gave him a snake instead. I don't feel guilty about what I did or didn't do in this situation, but it feels like a teachable moment God was using to open my eyes to his plan, vs. the one I had for today and for the $20 in my pocket.

"Help the Homeless!"

Often when walking in downtown Chicago I hear someone on the ground with a plastic cup calling out, "Help the Homeless!" This bugs me, not because someone is asking me for money, or that there are so many men and women on the street asking for money, but because they are asking for money in the third person.

What this tells me is that our society has minimized them and looks down on them as homeless. Perhaps they're on the street because they lost their job, lost their home, lost their family, or have lost precious years of their life due to an addiction to drugs or alcohol. But in today's society, all this seems to add up to the idea that the homeless have lost both their identity and their dignity. They are outcasts seeking the means to live day to day. And so when they ask for money, they ask for money in the third person. They are set apart from our society in the same way that lepers were forced to live on the outskirts of town during Jesus' lifetime.

It is doubly sad that the homeless today have accepted the position of second class citizens we have given them. We treat them like they don't have an identity so they have accepted that they don't have an identity. And that's the worse part.

The truth is that inside all of us is someone who is homeless. Someone who is not sure of who he is and where he's going. The most intimate request we can make to God or even to a friend is to admit our weakness and ask for help, but it's hard. It takes courage to be naked and vulnerable and say: "I'm unemployed, can you help me?" "I'm going to lose my house, can you help me?" "I haven't had anything to eat today, can you help me?"

Asking for help from another forces us to be in relationship. We admit that we are powerless to continue living on our own. More than a meal, shelter, or a job, our deepest desire is to be relationship, whether that is with a neighbor or with almighty God.

Viktor Frankl, is his book, Man's Search for Meaning, suggests, "He who has a WHY to live can bear almost any HOW." For Frankl as a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps, his WHY was the hope of seeing his wife again and basked in the memory of their loving relationship while in reality, torture, starvation, and death flourished all around him.

So when we see someone on the street calling out and saying, "Help the Homeless," our response needs to be more than to give them a buck or some loose change. We need to challenge ourselves to look them in the eye, shake their hand, ask them their name and tell them yours. We need to challenge ourselves to treat them with dignity and be in relationship with them.

In doing so, we become the WHY that Frankl talks about. We give that man or woman on the street hope not only that they can get something to eat or find a room to sleep in, we give them hope that they are important, significant, and beloved.