VII Sunday- Readings: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18 / 1 Corinthians 3: 16-23 / Matthew 5: 38-48

VII Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Readings:  Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18 / 1 Corinthians 3: 16-23 / Matthew 5: 38-48

Fr. Charles Johnson, OP

       At the podium stood noted Catholic writer, George Weigel and at the panel table sat James Douglass, a well-known Catholic peace activist and author.  Weigel spoke engagingly on the “Just War” teaching, citing the insights of Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.  For his response, Douglass simply stood up and said, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you ….”

The words of Jesus that he quoted are as simple as they are difficult to fully accept and practice.  That conference, that moment was no different. 

       In a pluralistic society such as ours, many people ask, “What is so unique about Jesus?”  Well, noted New Testament scholar Fr. Donald Senior gives an insight:  “If any saying of the gospel can claim to be an unaltered saying of Jesus, it is his statement on love of enemies….. There is no parallel in any ancient text to Jesus’ radical command to love the enemy.” 

        Unique and original, just like Jesus Christ.  In Christ and through him, we are called to be brothers and sisters.  Perhaps Jesus hopes that the term, enemies, will cease to be a part of our vocabulary. 

        What is it about the enemy?  Who is our enemy, who are yours, mine?  It has a lot to do with how we view others, both familiar people and strangers.  Jesus makes it clear that he is not only referring to far-away enemies, but especially those who are close by.   I can’t help but wonder if we are often guilty of creating enemies or allowing people to become enemies for us. Recent headlines tell about how gunshots were one man’s way of silencing music that was too loud.  The music stopped, but a life was cut down.    How far is too far?  Enemies …..when and where does it end?  Perhaps it is better to ask, enemies, when and where does it begin? 

         Fr. Henri Nouwen writes that “loneliness is one of the most universal causes of human suffering today.”  He observed that while most of the advertisements and media often show a “joyful togetherness of spontaneous people,” many people live in fear of others or are burdened by mistrust and suspicion. The fear and conflict born of loneliness profoundly impacts relationships between strangers and even loved ones. Fr. Nouwen continues:  “We become increasingly aware that we are living in a world where even the most intimate relationships have become part of competition and rivalry.” 

         It doesn’t take much effort to realize that even intimate relationships can be between “enemies.”  When love and respect depart from a relationship, enemy status will quietly creep in.  Why? Enemies are never God’s will, but the work of sin and sometimes we play a part.  Not all people will be our friends, but everyone has a claim to our charity and respect. 

     Pope Francis writes, “Faith teaches us to see that every man and woman represents a blessing for me, that the light of God’s face shines on me through the faces of my brothers and sisters.”

      In a society like ours that has become increasingly cold, harsh and violent, following the pope’s teaching might be rather unusual, even radical.  Seeing every man and woman as a blessing to us will put you and I in conflict with prevailing attitudes, but in union with Christ.  Christ is unique, but he hopes that his teaching will become common knowledge, so that his mercy is common practice. 

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February 2104

Dear Friends,

Back in January, before the current semester got started, I was able to visit Honduras along with 22 Tulane students as part of our Tulane Catholic Center Mission Honduras.  It was a wonderful experience that provided many opportunities to see how Christ brings together cultures when we reach out in faith and venture forth to accompany others in their countries and communities.  

Previously, before coming to Tulane, I served nearly ten years in mission to Latin America, especially the countries of Ecuador and Guatemala.  Once Latin America gets in your blood, it stays and when you experience the beauty and warmth of the land and people, you find yourself wanting to return.  At least that is my personal experience and point of view.  Why?  Perhaps it has most to do with the warmth of the people and how they are truly happy when you make the effort to share life with them and appreciate their joys and struggles. 

Even so, it is not necessary for us to leave our own communities to experience human warmth and happiness.  Maybe instead of looking for such wonderful blessings in faraway places, we should make them present by how we live and how we value human relationships in our lives, families and communities.  The friends I’ve made in Honduras and other countries are always quick to share their joy, even in the midst of difficult situations.  While their joy and happiness seem so new and refreshing, it is obvious that they hope that the blessings they share with us will remind us of own familiar places and faces.   

Peace!

Padre Charlie

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V Sunday Ordinary Time – A Readings: Isaiah 58: 7-10 / 1 Cor 2: 1-5 / Mt 5: 13-16

V Sunday Ordinary Time – A 

Readings: Isaiah 58: 7-10 / 1 Cor 2: 1-5 / Mt 5: 13-16

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

           He was not the dashing and athletic Hollywood star; as a matter of fact, he often came across as a bit disheveled.  However, he was a masterful actor.  In the movie, Doubt, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character exuded a sense of self-confidence that threw off even his most circumspect and skeptical critics.   

          His tragic and untimely death is truly a sad event for our time.  As we learn the details surrounding his death and what led up to it, we might shake our heads in disbelief thinking, “How could it happen? What a loss, he had such incredible talent and creativity.”  Like a light, he burned brightly before all who watched him perform.  I recall the image of him standing before the crowds and cameras at the Oscars ceremony. 

       However, once the bright lights of fame are extinguished, what remains?  Who remains?   Fame has an enticing and seductive glow and shine, but it is not very helpful as a guide through the difficulties of life.  In other words, don’t expect it to brighten your path during times of inner struggle or doubt. True illumination has as more to do with the source of the light than it does with its shine. The society we live in seems to worship fame and fortune, two things that have very brief life-spans.  However, as is often revealed, what lies underneath is often another story. 

          Father Henri Nouwen, speaking from his own personal struggles and outreach to others, writes, “I have often been shocked to discover that men and women with obvious talents and with many rewards for their accomplishments have so many doubts about their own goodness.”  He continues, “Instead of experiencing their outward successes as a sign of their inner beauty, they live them as a cover-up for their sense of personal worthlessness.” Perhaps doubts about one’s “own goodness” have as much to do with doubts about God’s loving-kindness, or doubts about the love and concern one longs to receive from others. 

          Shakespeare might have said, “All the world’s a stage.”  However, life is a gift God has given us – to be lived authentically, not performed.  Our mission is to convince others that their lives are a blessing as well.   Jesus calls us to be “the light of the world.”  However, what he hopes will burn most brightly is our love and concern for others. Christ calls us to shine brightly so that others will not be left in darkness of despair and suffering.  So that in knowing us, they might come to know the source of our joy and our light and discover Him shining in them as well.  

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Presentation of the Lord (February 2, 2014) Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4 / Hebrews 2: 14-18 / Luke 2: 22-40

Presentation of the Lord (February 2, 2014)

Readings: Malachi 3: 1-4 / Hebrews 2: 14-18 / Luke 2: 22-40

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

                  Noted Dominican theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, who spent many years serving the poor in his native Peru, tells the story of the visit of Pope Blessed John Paul II to the poor shantytowns of Lima, the capital of that country.  Husband and wife, Victor and Irene were asked to give a greeting to the pope in the name of the community. They began by saying, “Holy Father, we are hungry.  We suffer affliction, we lack work, we are sick. Our hearts are crushed by suffering as we see our tubercular wives giving birth, our children dying, our sons and daughters growing up weak and without a future.  But, despite all of this, we believe in the God of Life.”

              The hard-hitting impact of their greeting was matched by their simplicity and honesty. Their suffering was accompanied by sincere joy and trust in God.  Pope John Paul II was moved by such unshakeable faith as he reached out to his flock, poor in material wealth and power, but rich in faith. Some might say that to say such a greeting was, perhaps, out of place.  Some of the organizers might have been caught off-guard.  It was a festive event, after all.  Were such words like “rain on the parade?” 

          Not for the pope, not for the people.  In the midst of the celebration of the papal visit to those poor settlements, there was always the recognition of the effects of sin and suffering all around them.  Still, they celebrated. Still, they trusted.  Why? Because they knew that God was with them.

           Perhaps the words of the just man Simeon and the prophetess Anna came as a surprise to Mary and Joseph as they presented their child, Jesus, in the temple. Imagine the inspiration they felt as Simeon lifted up the baby Jesus and said, “For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Now imagine what they wondered when he addressed Mary, the mother of Jesus: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce ….” In the midst of a joyous moment, presenting their first-born son in the temple, an ominous prophecy was given, one that spoke of pain, suffering and conflict.  Was that an inappropriate message or one given at the wrong time and place? Well, that’s not the issue.  The words of Simeon and Anna were the truth, the truth that needed to be spoken. 

           Simeon and Anna knew who Jesus was because they knew and trusted in God’s promise.  At the same time, they recognized the reality of humanity – the reality of the possibility of rejection of God and His promise. They knew that God’s salvation and the rejection of it are contrary to each other, but that in Christ there can be reconciliation. Only in Christ can the rejection by humanity be overcome – a rejection overcome by acceptance:  God in Christ accepting and taking on our sinfulness so that, in return, we might know redemption.      

        Christ is the source of our joy and peace, but he is no stranger to rejection and suffering.  Pope emeritus Benedict XVI writes, “The Suffering Servant has the great mission to bring God’s light to the world. Yet it is in the darkness of the Cross that this mission is fulfilled.” 

      Redemption is always good and healing, but sometimes it can be uncomfortable, even painful. Christ, the Eternal Light, shines brightly because he knows the darkness. The Good News is always that, good.  If it startles us, perhaps it’s because the reality of sin has come to be accepted, even comfortable. The message of Christ is appropriate in all moments. Not just because it’s the right thing at the right time, but because it’s what we need to hear.  

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III Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (26 Jan 2013) Readings: Isaiah 8: 23 – 9:3 / 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17 / Matthew 4: 12-23

III Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (26 Jan 2013)

Readings:  Isaiah 8: 23 – 9:3 /  1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17 /  Matthew 4: 12-23

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

            Every time I’ve gone to Honduras as part of our Tulane Catholic Center mission to that country, I’ve appeared in several television interviews and news programs.  We go to Honduras in a low-key manner to serve the people in some very remote villages that most people in the nearby large city of San Pedro Sula have never heard of, much less visited.   Still, the TV and radio stations and newspapers want to talk to us and tell the public about our mission and service to the poor in their country. 

               Dina, the coordinator of our Honduran host group, Misioneros de Esperanza (Missionaries of Hope), tells me that since there is so much bad news about the rampant crime and violence in Honduras, it is urgent to get the message out that good things are also happening there.  Thankfully, some media outlets have taken up that challenge.

            Once again, the ancient message of hope given us by the prophet Isaiah guides our way, even in our times: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” I’m continually moved in faith by the example of so many people who follow the light of Christ in the midst of difficult situations, from here in New Orleans to my brothers and sisters in faith that live in Honduras and the other Latin American lands I have served in.  How do they do it? 

            We perceive the light in the midst of the darkness of sin and despair when we believe in the One who shines forth with the rays of Divine Mercy and peace.   Following Christ means not to curse the darkness, but trust in the light.  It means to know him as Emmanuel, God with Us:  God with us, yes, but all the time, through the dark valley and during the mountaintop experiences. 

           Pope emeritus Benedict XVI wrote a few years ago, “A distinguishing mark of Christians is the fact that they have a future: it is not that they know the details of what awaits them, but they know in general terms that their life will not end in emptiness.”  He continues, “Only when the future is certain as a positive reality does it become possible to live the present as well.”Hope for the future begins by putting our faith into practice in the present moment.

           Our Honduran brothers and sisters teach us that faith means recognizing the darkness of sin and suffering around us, but that we base and guide our lives by something else – someone else – the radiant light of God’s love. What does that light look like?  It shines from on high and up close.  Pope Francis gives an illuminating response:  “Faith teaches us to see that every man and woman represents a blessing for me, that the light of God’s face shines on me through the faces of my brothers and sisters.” Sometimes those faces might smile at us, sometimes not.  Still, the “light of God’s face” seeks to shine forth, no matter what the masks of selfishness, hate or indifference might try to hide behind them.  

        To seek good news when most of it seems rather bad does not mean to be perennially or superficially happy.  People in Honduras and in our own country and city grow tired of bad news.  We must hope and work for a better and less-violent society.  In faith we must come to know that nothing needs to be destroyed, but built up with the love of God.

          Dominican sister Annie Willetts, O.P. reminded us Dominican friars in a recent retreat, “Sin is the visible absence of God, while grace is the invisible presence of God.”  Invisible?  In a sense, but only because the Lord waits for us to make his mercy and love felt and visible. 

God is there, but that statement only makes sense when we trust that God is with us, so that through us He might also be there for others.

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II Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (Jan. 19, 2014) Readings: Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6 / 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3 / John 1: 29-34

II Sunday in Ordinary Time – A (Jan. 19, 2014)

Readings:  Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6 /  1 Corinthians 1: 1-3 /  John 1: 29-34

Fr. Charles Johnson, O.P.

              At the conclusion of a meeting with a potential donor for our capital campaign to build the new Catholic Center at Tulane University, one of our committee members addressed the two student leaders who were in attendance: “We need to build this new center so we can provide a better ministry and presence to students.  We need you to change the world and make it better.”  His words were spontaneous and sincere and certainly made an impression on all present, especially the students.
“Change the world and make it better,” I thought, “That’s what vocation is all about.  Doing something good with the life that God has given us.”  Perhaps for the students, such words were daunting and presented an ideal that would be challenging to reach.  Still, I’m convinced, they understood and I believe that ideal truly guides them.
          This week, we mark a major event and celebrate a major life:  the annual March for Life to promote our ideal of the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death, and the need to be on guard against all threats to it.  Monday, January 20, 2014 marks the day to commemorate the life and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both moments call to mind the bedrock principles of our faith and how, in our times, there are many situations that remind us that life must be defended and just living must be promoted.  To do so is to work for a better world.  A starting point is acknowledging the dignity of all life, including our own and the lives of those around us.  The continuation is living the gift of life as God’s blessing to us and our response.
         The questions arise, “Do we appreciate the purpose and potential of our lives?  Do we recognize the mission or vocation that is ours?  Will the world be a little better as a result of our passing through it?”The three readings proclaimed today all highlight the dignity of our lives as well as the vocation God gives us and the needs of our world that give it real-life focus. John the Baptist did not know beforehand who would be the Savior, but he knew what God had promised, both to him and the people.  Power was not necessary nor all knowledge.  Rather, trust in God’s promise and the confidence that his life was at the service of such a great blessing.
        The prophet Isaiah put his life at God’s service and discovered not only his life-purpose, but especially the good that the Lord sought to work through him.  He also discovered the purpose of the people of God, the Hebrew people.  The gift of the Lord’s salvation was not a power given to the prophet or the people, but a light that needed to shine through them to the ends of the earth.  Through faith, the discovery of our true purpose in life has to do with the discovery of just how much God loves us.
       Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in a “dark night of the soul,” when threats against his life and the fear of failure surrounded him and he felt all alone, said, “In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had all but gone, I decided to take my problem to God.”  He prayed aloud to God, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right.  But now I am afraid.  The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter.  I am at the end of my powers.  I have nothing left.  I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”  He recounted, “At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I have never experienced him before.”
        Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did great things without seeking greatness.  So did John the Baptist.  That’s confidence, in God and yourself.  Knowing you have the strength to do great things, because you are willing to trust in God’s goodness and justice as much as in or more than your own instincts.
        Knowing that you have the intelligence to help change the world because you are willing to change your thinking to be more like Christ.  That’s vocation, following the footsteps of Jesus and finding your bliss, finding yourself and the ones who need you.

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