22 April 2005

Many times in our Opening Prayer during the Easter season, we hear that the Resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead “restores the joy of our youth.”  While the outer self—the old order—may be deteriorating, the internal self—the one made eternal by Christ—is forever being renewed.  Addictions can cause a person to focus on the old self: “I used to be decent.  I used to be have joy in my life.”  However, focusing on self in this manner is just that: a focus on self, whether that be from the past or that which is in the present.  Our charge is to set our eyes on Christ and the marvelous work He has done for us, even as we find ourselves in sin.  For our part, then, we must look to the Lord, not to images!  This requires conversion or turning (conversio): “turning away” from sin and “turning back” to God. 

 

“When you turn back to Him with your whole heart (emphasis added), then He will turn back to you and no longer hide His face from you.” (Tobit 6)  That joy we are seeking will be restored—in our very flesh—and our “wounds will quickly be healed.”(Isaiah 58:8)  The Book of the Prophet Isaiah is rich in its message of hope for the forlorn.  Here are a few additional passages:

 

	“Listen to Me, you fainthearted, you who seem far from the victory of justice: I am bringing on My justice, it is not far off, My salvation shall not tarry.” (Isaiah 46:13)
	“I have brushed away you offenses like a cloud, your sins like a mist; return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
	“Turn to Me and be safe…for I am God; there is no other!” (Isaiah 45:22)

 May you celebrate with joy Christ’s power over death and all that seeks to destroy us.

OF GRAVEN IMAGES AND GRACE 10 March 2005

We hear of “graven images” as that which we are to avoid, lest we run the risk of worshiping false gods. While there may no longer be any molten calves carved with graving tools, those things which represent choosing idolatry over true worship of God (Exodus 32:1-30), pornographic images flashing upon a computer screen most certainly are the “graven images” of today! Adoring these life-like but lifeless figures is—without a doubt—a sign that we have some thing taking the place of God.

Our Catholic Faith reveals to us that in Christ there truly is mercy for the sinner. As Pope St. Leo the Great (d. 461) states in his homily, On the Passion of the Lord, “no one—however weak—is denied a share in the victory of the Cross. No one is beyond the help of the prayer of Christ. His prayer brought benefit to the multitude that raged against Him. How much more does it bring to those who turn to Him in repentance.”

We are reminded in the sacrament of Reconciliation that the person repenting his sins resolves to do penance. By doing so, the penitent offers an outward sign of reform of his life and makes amends for the sins committed, so as to be docile once again to the beckoning of the Spirit. This is work, but it is fruitful work: it brings results (Galatians 5: 16-26).

Jesus states that we must strive to enter the kingdom of heaven (Luke 13: 24). The word for strive in Greek [agonizomai] signifies a “strenuous exercise of muscle or power” (spiritual and physical effort). There will be times when temptations will certainly cause agony. If one can see and accept this agony as a share in the sufferings of Christ, then that glory which the Cross produces is not far away. The Fourth Gospel (eg. John 7:39,12:16) often indicates that Jesus regarded the Cross as both His supreme glory and as the way to that glory. May your striving to be chaste and pure this Lenten season bring you a fruitful harvest of joy and peace in the Lord.

02 March 05 - REAL HAPPINESS

 

Happy the people who acclaim God as king,

Who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

Who find their joy every day in your name,

Who make your justice the source of their bliss.

Psalm 89: 16-17

 

For various reasons, a few decades ago, some people in the Church were wanting to get rid of certain titles for God, such as “Lord” and King,” deeming these obsolete.  Unfortunately, by wanting this, they unwittingly associated themselves with an unholy lot.  Recall in Mark 1:24, the demons rightly recognize Jesus as the Holy One of God…but they will not call Him "Lord."  For to do so would mean to acknowledge that He is their Master.

 

When we sin, we are naming something other than Jesus as our lord, and most certainly we will suffer pain by submitting to such foul tyrants.  But when we come back to our senses (Luke 15: 17) and recognize that God is Lord alone, righteousness returns to us, and peace wells up in our midst.

 

When we “find our joy every day” in God’s name (not in some foreign idol) and when we make what God has said is right and just to be “the source of our bliss” (not something the desires of the flesh tell us will make us blissful), then we find real happiness that cannot be taken away.

 

“I beg you, my brothers, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice—holy and acceptable to God, your spiritual worship.”  Romans 12:1

22 February 2005

 

A 12-stepper from AA once told me that the group has a watchword, which helps them pause just a moment and think before reacting impulsively to an urge.  The watchword is H.A.L.T.  It stands for “hungry, angry, lonely or tired.”  Sometimes these basics human sensations can tempt a person who is not paying attention to what’s going on inside to go on a binge.  If—when one feels the urge to indulge in self-gratification—a moment is taken to stop (halt!) and do a quick self-evaluation, a self-destructive turn can be avoided.  Am I hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?  If the answer to but one of these questions is “yes,” then the person dealing with compulsive behaviors needs to address that need so as to avoid a lapse back into the addictive behavior.  If more than one “yes” is admitted, then there is more than ample evidence that self needs to take care of self, in a healthy manner, and soon!

 

Brief scripture verses written and stored in convenient places are also very helpful so as to have a quick snack, if you will, when a person is stressed or when one of the abovementioned needs cannot be tended to directly and one must defer the addressing of that need to the near future.   Scripture, as you know, is more than just an account of things in the past.  It is the living Word of the Eternal God.  It carries the power of the Most High, and it can bring help to the present time of need. 

 

If you are tempted by lust, below are a few selections.  Be sure to gather your own!

 

	“Approach not the door of this house…lest you groan in the end, and your flesh and your body are consumed.” –from Proverbs 5
	“Only in God will my soul be at rest; from Him comes my hope, my salvation.  He alone is my rock of safety, my strength, my glory, my God.” –from Psalm 62
	“O God, you are my God.  For you I long, for you my soul is thirsting.  My body pines for you like a dry, weary land without water.” –from Psalm 63
	“Let it be done to me according to your will.” –from Luke 1

 

17 February 2005  Just say "NO"

  

The temptation to look anew at pornography or to revisit/recreate scenarios through fantasy is only the luring of the same old face: deceit.  There is not something better—or more exciting—that will be missed by failing to indulge.  For the addict, there is only a worsening of the sickness.  The excitement may last a moment, but when that moment is ended, shame, regret, and a legion of other foul sentiments quickly return.

 

“Just say no” is a cliché we’ve all heard; but this is an important tool which must be used if health and new life are to be achieved.  Sometimes, the word even needs to be spoken out loud!  Imploring the name of Jesus will certainly be a most useful aid to this resolve.

 

Temptation will cast the illusion that “I am going to die” if the addiction is not satisfied.  It may feel like hunger and thirst, but if the pornography is not viewed, one will not perish.  Unlike the real need for food and water, a human being does not need this vice to survive.  Self must be reminded of this.

 

What will die, when self sustains the denied viewing of pornography, is the vice.  As an ad for cable TV so bluntly noted, “stop feeding the pig!”  The beast will grow weaker and less powerful a force when the soul takes recourse to do what needs to be done.  And the means to strengthen one’s resolve are available:

	regular and consistent prayer
	frequenting the sacraments and
	staying accountable to others (receiving and offering help in times of trial or temptation—via prayer, words of encouragement and example).

 

“I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk,

 Give you counsel and watch over you.

 Be not senseless like horse and mule, needing bridle and bit,

 Else they will not approach you.”  -Psalm 32: 8-9

11 February 2005

 

When we leave sin behind, rest assured, temptation will eventually follow in its wake.  The new life of freedom from vice can even begin to feel a bit like a desert.  Recall the grumbling of the Chosen People in their desert experience when the foe was closing in on them:

 

“Where there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert?  Why did you do this to us?  Did we not tell you this: ‘leave us alone…far better to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert?’” (Exodus 14: 11-12)

 

Or when they ran out of something to drink:

 

“After traveling for three days through the desert without finding water, they arrived at Marah.  The people grumbled against Moses, saying ‘what are we to drink?’” (Exodus 15: 23-24)

           

Or when they ran out of something to eat:

 

“The Israelites said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread.  But you (emphasis added) had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die.’” (Exodus 16: 3)

 

Or when they were just plain tired of what was required of them:

 

“The foreign (emphasis added) elements among them were so greedy for meat that even the Israelites lamented again, “Would that we had meat for food!  We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.  But now we are famished; we see nothing before us but this manna.’” (Numbers 11: 4-5)

 

Why can’t I go back to the slavery?  Was it really all that bad?  I miss all that sharp and spicy stuff I indulged in for so long.  What am I doing here in this dry and desolate place? 

 

This may sound familiar.  But as noted in the last quotation from the book of Numbers, this is the foreign element within us that is attempting to turn us away from the path God has provided for us to find healing and new life, even though at times, it seems to be a walk in barren places.  These foreign elements whisper in the depths of our souls, challenging what the Lord has promised. But God does provide daily bread for His faithful ones.  For our part, we need to temper the lust for exotic highs, which the addiction experience offered, and not grow weary of the heavenly manna Jesus has prepared in order that we might remain in Him and find true freedom.

7 February 2005

As we prepare to enter the Lenten season, we are reminded of Jesus’ own temptation in the desert. He who abandoned His hold on divinity (Philippians 2:6) can truly help us in our struggle with mortal passions and desires, so that we may respond to these trials as God desires. “Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested” (Hebrews 2:18). Jesus knows what are our temptations in the desert. He overcame them in the flesh (Matthew 4:1) and will help us do the same by the advocacy of the Spirit (John 14:26).

The desert is a wasteland, a place not fit for human living. And yet, in the Bible, we see this as the place where God forms a people (Exodus 15:22-27; 19-20) who must learn to rely on God alone (Psalm 62).

The thirsting soul often seeks to satisfy itself in various and inordinate ways. Spiritual dryness sometimes causes us to stray from what we know will offer us true refreshment (Psalm 119). We do not like the feeling of interior dryness, but going to false sources for refreshment is akin to drinking from the sea when we are thirsty: after the immediate sensation of something cool and wet, our thirst becomes unbearably worse. We can drink more of the waters which never satisfy or we can drink from the living waters which Christ Jesus provides (John 4:14). If we are willing to be still, that is, if we stop in silence and wait long enough to listen, God will speak a word that refreshes us. Then,

“On that day, the desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. So strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak; Say to those whose hearts are frightened: ‘Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, He comes to save you.’ ” (Isaiah 35) In the desert where God trains us, there is not only refreshment for what is parched, there is also nourishment for our hungers. A banquet is prepared for us. “Come now, let us set things right,” says the Lord. "Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land.”   (Isaiah 1: 18-19).

May the Lord grant you an abundance of grace in these forty days.

Sincerely, Fr. Jim

4 January 2005

Every second Tuesday in the Office of Readings (from the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours), we encounter Psalm 27, which is divided into three sections. Each section is then introduced by an antiphon.

For those struggling with addiction to pornography, I would like to offer the following reflection. I have always found these antiphons, along with the psalm prayer, to be a wonder tool in helping break the chains of sinfulness.

The first antiphon (followed by verses 1-11) states, “Surrender to God, and He will do everything for you.” In the Catholic faith, humbly surrendering to God has always been the most favorable disposition a person can undertake in terms of inviting in the saving presence of God. By its very definition surrender means, “to yield to the power of another.” Willing to abandon the habits of a vice into the hands of God will yield the fruit which only God’s Spirit can bring: “peace, love, joy…(cf. Galatians 5:22 ff).

The second antiphon (followed by verses 12-29) states, “Turn away from evil, learn to do God’s will; the Lord will strengthen you if you obey Him.” We may know the difference between right and wrong, but we have to learn to do what is good. It doesn’t simply or automatically show up. The word discipline (the work of a disciple) comes from the Latin discipulus, which means “a learner.” Christ is always there to teach us self-control if we are willing to learn. The first step, as the antiphon so poignantly indicates, requires us to “turn away” from the evil we do. Spiritual writers constantly remind those suffering from the vice of lust that, when threatened by temptation, one must turn away—immediately. Then the disciple is in the proper position to learn from the Lord.

The third antiphon (followed by the final verses of the psalm) states, “Wait for the Lord to lead, then follow in His way.” Turning away from pornography (as well as the powers and principalities which govern it) is frequently beyond the strength a mortal being possesses. For the Lord of heaven and earth, this industry is mere child’s play (and an unruly one at that). Standing daily in a posture of readiness towards the Lord will soon find us walking with Him on the pathway of life. This posture is attained through consistency in prayer, reflection and wonder in the marvelous deeds our God can do. The New Testament verse attached to Psalm 37 is “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Like Mary who humbly replied, “Let it be done to me according to Your will,” we also bring forth the Incarnate God—in our very flesh—when we humbly open ourselves to God and obey His will.

My prayers are with you daily.

Respectfully yours in Christ,

Fr. Jim

Sustaining the Effort

From a Priest's Perspective

One of the most important of aspects of recovery and the pursuit of spiritual strength is perseverance.  Persistent, healthy actions under the guidance of grace enable a disciple of the Lord to walk this narrow road.  The Early Church Fathers were fond of comparing spiritual work with physical work.  For example, if I start exercising to make my physical muscles stronger, but do it only sporadically, then I quickly become fatigued and easily quit.  I might even hurt myself.  If I never put forth an effort, the muscles atrophy and are useless.  However, if I start with a workable program—something doable—and remain true to that routine, then I soon acquire physical rejuvenation and can regularly build on this simple program and acquire even more strength.

So it is in the moral and spiritual domain.  The key: regular attendance to the work we know must be done.  If I kick back on days that I’m starting to “feel better” or am “too busy” or suddenly feel “I wasn’t in that bad of shape,” then the vice returns, and often with a vengeance.  Aquinas rightly pointed out that virtue and vice are both habits.  If we want to get rid of a bad habit, undertake a good habit.  And a habit, by its very definition, is  “a thing done often and hence, usually, done easily.”

Now, this certainly entails more than the mere flipping on of a switch in order to make a machine run.  Factors such as will and sin, etc. are also part of the equation.  However, we must not underestimate the individual’s ability to do, to take right action, especially in light of the fact that his/her life has become unmanageable and a surrender to God’s will and power has feebly been admitted.

Another aspect to this analogy is “working out” with others.  How often have we piled up exercise equipment in the basement or given up a New Year’s resolutions once the newness of the fervor has worn off?  It is always helpful to have support and coaching in this endeavor.  So it is with our spiritual advances.  Beyond the need for others from the perspective of this analogy, we are created in the image of the one Triune God.  In order to embody the wholeness we seek, the effort put forth is best realized in the Body of the Faithful, the Church.  The weaker members need the strength of others in difficult times in order to persevere and so be healed.  It is sometimes an awkward step, but a vital one. 

 Sustaining the effort to ask for help in times of need is not a weakness, but rather, an acknowledgment of the truth…and truth sets us free.  We need one another in order to grow in grace and in the likeness of Christ.  That’s how we are designed according to the order of the Divine Will.  Regular accountability to someone else is essential in the pursuit of holiness and wholeness.

 Stating the above doesn’t mean that at times we won’t find it difficult to be true to Christ.  It doesn’t mean that we will effortlessly be triumphant in the face of temptation.  What it does mean is that in those moments of sorrow, aloneness and trial, simple reminders of the work that needs to be done to overcome addiction—from within and from those who support us—is the means by which God’s loving grace takes hold of us in this time of need. 

 -Fr. Jim

Reader's please note that this is the first of what we hope to be many contributing articles by Father Jim.