Who really believes anymore, anyway?

Today I want to give a shout-out to Doubting Thomas, whose feast day is today. Oh yeah, and to my good friend Beth whose birthday was yesterday!

I think we ought to give it to Thomas. I mean, who really believes in Jesus anymore, anyway? If he couldn't see Jesus, then he wasn't going to believe that He was alive. I agree whole-heartedly.

Modern man (excuse me, I meant "modern women and men") has moved way past the need to believe in God and to be part of some faith group, especially one that always wants to tell people what to do all the time. We can pretty much do everything on our own now anyway. Heck, we just figured out the actual length of Neptune's day! And, did you know that by 2045, machines are going to be smarter than us anyway?

But let's take the "Father"/Creator-being, just for fun. You don't really think God cares about you, do you? Sure, maybe He made you, every ounce and fiber and knew you before you were even created, but I doubt He cares much about your life now. I'm sure He has much bigger things to worry about, like making sure the planets stay on track or new stars come out of the nebulae. I mean, personally, once my children were born, I'd just as soon leave them to fend for themselves, except that I don't want to end up in jail. I may have been happy that I created them, but I don't really care about giving them what they need, like food and water and their favorite episode of Thomas the Tank Engine. I think it's really annoying to have to give them any rules or consequences so they can learn about life and how to live with others and, of course, respect me, their parent.

And, that Jesus dude? You don't really think God actually became a man, do you? Why would God give up being God? Human existence isn't exactly a walk in the park - if He were God, I'm sure he knew about the less than enjoyable possibilities like hunger, no air conditioning, constipation, experiencing the death of a loved one, to name a few. Why should we trust what people have been saying about what He said and did? Do you really think that story is still straight after 2,000 years?! Who's really going to try to claim that? So what if thousands of people who heard him speak began following Him. And, all those people He "healed"? Yeah, right. Those were just stories to get the people to believe. Oh, and the people who were killed because they believed in the dude, after the dude was killed? They were probably just as crazy as He was. I wouldn't give my life for another human being! I'm enjoying myself just fine, doing what I like. [Thank God I live in America and I can do that! Happy Bday tomorrow, US of A. You're awesome!]

Now, the Spirit I can believe in a lot easier. You know, we're all connected by spirit. We're trying to be one with Nature, too, if we don't kill it first, of course. But, back to the God-spirit thang. Does anyone think that God is still trying to communicate and be with us today? I certainly don't hear anything. But, I got my iTunes on, checkin' out what all my "friends" are doing right now, and then I'm going to play a few rounds of Snood, and that's all a LOT more fun!

So, Thomas, pray for us, if you can even hear us. We want to find the Truth! And, when we do, ask God to help us believe.

Next week . . . my shout-out to Judas!

Where is Jesus' Body Now?

This week we remember and celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. For some reason, I have an easier time believing in the Resurrection than the Ascension. It seems more understandable to me, as an embodied person, that God would have the power to raise someone from the dead, because that means Jesus became alive again - a living, breathing being like the ones I see everyday. But, when I think about how after that (and after being with His apostles again for a time), Jesus went up into the clouds to return to the Father, I can't quite grasp it. Where is Jesus' body now? Is He floating around somewhere past the edges of the universe? Perhaps hiding at the end of the rainbow?

Part of my problem is that when I picture God and creation, I visualize a spatial relationship. I draw a nice little circle that includes the universe and all created things, and then around that is a bigger circle which is God. How limited is my understanding!

But, beyond understanding the physical event itself, why did Jesus return to Heaven? In John's Gospel, Jesus tells us, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be." God wants us to be where He is, to be one with Him! And that is our hope while we still live on this earth, that Jesus has loved us and has shown us the way to the Eternal Love.

How about you? Where do you think Jesus' body is?

The Mystery of His Suffering

In our family during this Lenten season and especially during Holy Week, we have been talking with our kids about how Jesus died on the cross. The first time I mentioned how Good Friday is the saddest day of the year because of this, our three-year-old son's eyes got round with distress. I was really moved that he seemed touched by the seriousness of it all.

I said it again last night while we were at the Holy Thursday Mass. I pointed out how all the crucifixes were covered to remind us that Jesus had died. The three-year-old was significantly less impressed this time. Same with our six-year-old.

Now, of course, these children are young and can barely fathom the suffering and agony that Christ endured during his sentencing and crucifixion. And, I don't know that they should be exposed to the real horrors of it all. But what I realized is that I, too, have grown nonchalant about what He endured. I don't want to believe that it was for all for us - and all for me.

There is a novena (praying for nine days for a specific intention), which St. Faustina received and writes about in her diary. It is the Novena of the Divine Mercy, which should be prayed from Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday (the Sunday after Easter). In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy ... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls."

The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:

DAY 1 (Good Friday) - All mankind, especially sinners

DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) - The souls of priests and religious

DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) - All devout and faithful souls

DAY 4 (Easter Monday) - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him

DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) - The souls of separated brethren

DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children

DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy

DAY 8 (Easter Friday) - The souls who are detained in purgatory;

DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) - The souls who have become lukewarm.

So, he gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the lukewarm and indifferent of whom He said:

"These souls cause Me more suffering than any others; it was from such souls that My soul felt the most revulsion in the Garden of Olives. It was on their account that I said: 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass Me by.' The last hope of salvation for them is to flee to My Mercy."

The full weight of my own indifference is hard to comprehend. I look at the cross and often feel nothing. Perhaps I have heard the story too many times, like our children who answer my questions about what happened like they are in a game show, with a big smile on their faces. Yes, I can give the right answer, too, about the details of the story as they unfolded. But, is there humility in my retelling, in my knowledge? Too often, not.

I often think about why Christ came during the time period he did. He knew that crucifixion was the practice of that time, but He came then anyway, to suffer horribly. I often wonder contemptuously why Christ had to suffer at all. Couldn't he just come to the earth and save us without having to endure such suffering? If God was going to save us from our supposed sins and our sinful nature, why doesn't He just forgive us and let us come back into communion with Him? Why did He have to suffer at all?

It is my pride, my contempt, my selfcenteredness that prevents me from seeing this. I don't allow myself to think about the weight of my own sin, the hurt that I have caused God and others, by thinking myself a "good person," by thinking that I have things under control and that I do not need God. If we could truly understand our nature and our actions, in genuine humility before our Lord, we would fall to our knees, begging for His mercy.

I have grown lukewarm, and that is one of the hardest sins to confess. We have gone through this Lent, with resolutions of prayers, fasting, and acts of charity, and we have, albeit imperfectly, followed through. But, when it comes down to it, have we truly lifted our hearts and minds to the Lord? Have we thanked him for what He did?

Let us pray on this Good Friday, with greater intensity than ever before, that we will understand this mystery of Christ's suffering and death, not just with our minds, but with our hearts. Let us come to know that we owe our very existence and our redemption to God Almighty and that He doesn't owe us either one. They are given to us in Love.