Interconnectivity

Consider how an ear of corn is produced. Most of us would point to the labor of the farmer in tilling the soil, sowing the seed, and harvesting the grain. But it is not as simple as that. The farmer needs the blacksmith to make the spade, ploughshare, sickle, and axe. He needs the carpenter to make a fram for the plough and to make a yoke for the horse. He needs the leather worker to make the harness. He needs the builder to make a stable for the horse, and a barn to store the hay and grain. He needs a baker to turn the grain into bread, otherwise his labors are worthless. And he needs the forest worker to provide wood for the carpenter to saw, and wood for the baker to heat the oven. So just to produce corn, many different people are needed. Since we depend on one another for our very survival, why do we ever try to exploit and cheat one another? Nothing could be more stupid and irrational than to try to get the better of someone else; people who cheat and exploit others are cheating and exploiting themselves.

-St. John Chrysostom

I think about the politics of the day and the anger that is out there when I read this. Everything is connected including, in a way, cheating people. (Think about someone who runs a Pay Day Loan operation and then uses the profits to, well, buy stuff). All I have to do is to look personally at my job to see how it connects to the rest of the economy.

We sell insurance to small businesses. Small businesses do most of the hiring in this country. I have been used to working with big corporations - I worked for a large accounting firm, audited huge, Fortune 500, public companies, and now I work for a Fortune 500 public company. But, large as we are, and as much as my world has revolved around large businesses, we need small businesses to thrive! This is something I have to remind myself of when I wonder what the "big deal" is about small businesses.

It's a circle, too. Although I do a lot of shopping online, or at Wal-Mart, or at a large grocery store, I also do patronize small businesses without knowing it. What is a local restaurant but a small business? And when I needed a contractor? So they help me by being customers of the company I work for, and I help them out with my patronage.

Certainly all people should look at their lives this way. So many people get angry at "the rich" or "big business." But we all rely on each other. If someone who makes cars resents those who buy cars, what good is that? It would be like a doctor resenting sick people.

What Child Is This?

"What Child Is This" has been a favorite Christmas song of mine from the first time I can remember singing it. The Greensleeves melody is beautiful and haunting, reminding me of a far away age. Yet, without the the carol's lyrics, the melody is nice but not absolutely memorable.

"What Child is this who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping,
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet while shephderds' watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe the son of Mary."

"Why lies He in such mean estate where ox and ass are keeping?
Good Christians fear: for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.
This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe the son of Mary."

I like the second line in this verse, and yet I am not sure if I am interpreting it right. "Good Christians fear." Can you imagine the awe and fear of seeing God in person? And perhaps, if a Christian, of seeing your personal Savior? The fact that He is a little baby makes it even more awesome - that power causing fear. Not fear for our lives, but just immense awareness of something greater than we are. I wonder if those who visited Baby Jesus felt that - did they know how important he was? They knew something, or they would not have come, but did they KNOW? I wonder what it would have been like to have seen Him on that night (or any time as a baby) and carried that one meeting with you your whole life. Did they become Christians later on?

Of course, the second half of the line, "For sinners here the silent Word is pleading." Are the two halves connected? Well, I think so. All Christians are still sinners - so here they are meeting their Savior, the Word, who pleads their case before the Throne of Heaven. I think that would increase my awe and fear, knowing that. And non Christians? Other "sinners?" Well, their case is being plead as well. That is the beauty of the Christmas story.

"So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh. Come peasant, king to own him.
The King of Kings salvation brings; let loving hearts enthrone Him!
Raise, raise the song on high, the Virgin sings a lullaby.
Joy! Joy! For Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary."

It was a few years ago that this carol became my all-time favorite. Usually there is one each season, and true enough there are those that I like. But since the words, "King of Kings" popped out at me, I cannot get them out of my head at Christmastime. The King of Kings! The greatest king the world will ever know, and He is just a little baby! It goes back to the awe in the last verse. I can't write more because the feeling those words inspire in me is not one that I can put into words. It's just...wow. This is why I do not write Christmas songs - I am not articulate enough to express what needs to be said about the incarnation. All the awe and power and joy come to earth on one night. It is beautiful!

The amount we give is not judged by the largeness of the gifts but the largeness of our hearts. The poor woman who shares her meager pot of stew with another poor woman is far more to be praised than the rich man who throws a few gold coins into a collection at church. But although most Christians acknowledge the truth of this, their words and actions convey a different message. When a rich man makes a large gift to the church, he is heartily thanked; and although he will not feel the lack of that money himself, he is praised for his generosity. When apoor man makes a small gift, nothing is said; even though that gift may cause him to go hungry, no one praises him or thanks him. It would be better to priase no one than to confine our praise to the rich. Better still, we should take trouble to observe every true act of generosity, whether by the rich or the poor, and then offer our praise. Indeed let us be as generous with our praise as people are generous with their money.

-St. John Chrysostom

Hark! A Carol

Once again as I listen to the Christmas carols playing on the radio this year, I am lulled to sleep by the wonderful beauty not only of the songs but of the messages they convey. So much theology, such a complete story of Christianity, is wrapped up in these simple hymns! And it is so gratifying to hear them play on secular radio stations - what a way to get the message out!

So I am adding some here - to just celebrate their words and to add my thoughts.

"Hark! The herald angels sing,
'Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinner reconciled!'
Joyful all ye nations rise!
Join the triumph of the skies!
With the angelic voice proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! The herald angels sing,
'Glory to the newborn King!"

I think the fourth line says it all here - "God and sinner reconciled!" Why, that's not a statement about the nativity, it's a statement about the cross! It's all about WHY Jesus came to earth - not just the fact that He did. Of course, the joy of the nations sends a powerful message, too. For instance, that Jesus came for the entire world, not just for Israel. Rejoice ye earth!

"Christ by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of the Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the Incarnate Deity!
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!"

I love the way this verse emphasizes the nature of Jesus. This is theology at its finest, and from the earliest days of Christianity. Jesus - fully God! - the Incarnate Deity! And also wholly man - a man who chooses to dwell with us!

"Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild he lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn king!"

This is my favorite verse of all! Once again we have the beautiful names for Jesus and a description of the joy he brings - light and life! But what I love is the incorporation of the Passion into the Christmas story. Here Jesus lays his Glory aside to come to earth as a man. But not only to come to earth, to die! Although the song doesn't talk about Jesus' death specifically, we know that is what it means when it says, "Born that man no more may die." It was his Passion that gave us that everlasting life.

Further, there is a kind of dual meaning of the words saying "Born that man no more may die: born to raise the sons of earth." The words speak of us - men. But they also tell the story of Jesus. He died, so that we would not have to die. And then he raised himself from the dead - and now he will raise us up as well.

This is why I love Christmas songs so much - what a wonderful opportunity to sing or talk about Jesus - and not just baby Jesus - His entire life's work! Because it all started at the Nativity!

When a tailor makes and sells a garment, only one service is performed, that of putting clothes on a body. The same is true of a cobbler making and selling a pair of shoes; the only service in this case is to put shoes on the feet. But when a person makes a gift to another person, of money or some object, a double service is performed. First, the receiver derives a material benefit from the gift. Second, the giver derives a spiritual benefit, because this act of generosity will have brought a blessing to his soul. And there can even be a third service: if the receiver is filled with humble gratitude that will be a blessing to that person's soul. Imagine a society in which no one sold anything, but everyone shared freely their skills and wealth. Then every action in that society would bring not only material benefits, but spiritual benefits also. Such societies already exists in miniature: families operate in this way. How wonderful it would be if villages and towns could become like large families. Then heaven would come down to earth.

- St. John Chrysostom

Thus the joy of continual giving. Imagine if Christmas were all year round. Imagine if we took care of each other - first those closest to us in our families and our friends, and then ever widening our circles. Last year I went to the St. Joseph table at my church, a communal supper and fundraiser to give money to feed the poor in our parish throughout the year. What if each parish had not just one St. Joseph table, but several throughout the year. And it not only fed but clothed and sheltered the needy in the parish. And then perhaps those not "in" the parish, but in the nearby community. How great the world would be if we gave not just on holidays and parties, but all the time!

The Skill of the Rich People

One person has the skill to hammer brass into the most exquisite shapes and to engrave elaborate patterns on to it. Another has the skill to make furniture, joining together different pieces of wood so firmly that no one can break them apart. A third person can spin the finest yarn, while a fourth weaves it into cloth. A fifth craftsman can lay stones one on top of the other to build walls, while a sixth puts a roof on top of the walls to make a house. Indeed there are so many different skills, each one requiring many years to attain, that it would be impossible to list them all. So what is the skill that rich people should acquire? They do not need to fashion brass or wood, or to build houses. Rather, they must learn how to use their wealth well, to the good of all the people around them. The ordinary craftsman may think that that is an easy skill to learn. On the contrary, it is the hardest skill of all. It requires both great wisdom and great moral strength. Look at how many rich people fail to acquire it, and how few practice it to perfection.

- St. John Chrysostom

This was a good challenge for me to read. One way you can read this is in terms of how we serve others. Some people have passions and talents that allow them to volunteer in very hands-on ways. But others, truly most of us in this middle-class society we live in, have financial means to give to those less fortunate. It is possible that there are those in this world whose talents are making money. There is nothing shameful in that. And if they use that money to procure their own security, and make more money, they can give even more money to those in need.

The challenge is in determining how much someone needs. We want to set aside money for the future - for future children, for retirement, or for unforeseen accidents. But hoarding too much money can be greedy and uncessary. So what is a reasonable amount? That depends on the person - we all just have to give some serious thought as to what that is for us.

The Visible Church

"Theology for Beginners" by Frank Sheed has the subtitle of, "A Modern Classic." I feel the title, which appears a little self-serving, becomes a good descriptor of the book. Sheed writes in a way that is easy to understand and conversational, almost in the stylings of C.S. Lewis himself. Further, several gems pop out at you from his writings. I'd like to write a few quotes from one chapter in particular, "The Visible Church" that were "Aha" moments for me.

"There is a feeling that one who makes all his own decisions in religion is freer and more natural. But if a man joins, or remains in, the church because he believes Christ founded it to give us truth and life and union with Him, then it is mere sanity to accept the doctrines and the moral laws it tells us Christ has given it, and the means of life and union. It is not as if we could discover these things for ourselves. We know them on God's revelation or not at all. We must find the teacher authorized by God to teach and accept his authority. The alternative is to go without. And freedom is not served by ignorance."

I feel this is what many people say about "religion" or any kind of structured church. But we all accept teaching from somewhere, even from ourselves. Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit that guides us to truth, but then how can so many people be guided to different truths? It is because we are not looking to the correct teacher. Perhaps we are not able to discern on our own the truth we hear or believe. That is why he says we are not able to discover these things on our own - because even if we searched and studied, we would not be able to discern the truth between different messages without the Holy Spirit.

"She [the church] has had popes who made no fetish of personal holiness, but not one of them has ever tried to reword the law of God to allow for the indulgence of his own temptations."

This is a wonderful apologetic statement for those who use the failures of the popes to reject the Catholic church, and Sheed is absolutely right. There have been popes with mistresses, it is unfortunately true. But none of these popes has come out and said that mistresses are a good thing, a holy thing, or not a sin. Instead, they have had to personally take on the burden and shame of living a double life, but the teachings of the church have remained intact.

In addition, a similar thought really helped me on my road to determining if I should convert. Many people will accuse Catholic teachings of not being biblical, or even being anti-biblical. But the Catholics use the same Bible as Protestants. In fact, it was early Catholics who wrote the Bible we all use today - although the "Catholic Church" did not write individual letters in the New Testament (the apostles did), it chose which letters to include in the canon we now know as the Bible. If the church thought its teachings were anti-biblical, would it not be easier for it to change the Bible itself than to defend its actions? I speak in a general sense here, but specific doctrines do hold up against the Bible, and many hold up better than their Protestant counterparts.

"A medicine must be judged not by those who buy it but by those who actually take it. A Church must be judged by those who hear and obey, not by those who half-hear and disobey when obedience is difficult."

Like the quote above, this quote emphasizes that we are not to say the teachings of the church of a whole are invalid because of the lack of holiness of its members. In fact, we are all less than holy, although some are more holy or unholy than others. Still, any church would agree that they want to be judged by the message they are teaching rather than the actions its members do with the message. And though members of the Catholic Church can fail miserably, but it saints have been inspirations for the entire world.

"It seems so strange that so many Christians think the Apostles fulfilled their commission by writing the New Testament, leaving behind them no successors, nor any need for successors, with the authority the Lord had given themselves. It seems strange, for one reason, that it would mean only five of the twelve had obeyed their Master - Matthew writing a gospel, John a gospel and three brief letters, Peter two letters, James and Jude one each. Not a word written from Thomas, for instance, so ready with his tongue...
It would seem strange for another reason - that the Church Christ founded would be a teaching church only for a half-century or so, in all the centuries since merely a library. Circumstances change and someone must have the authority to apply the teachings to the new circumstances; otherwise they would end up as frustrations rather than teachings. Even in the doctrines themselves there are depths which the believing mind can explore, with all the danger of error but all the rich possibilities of development. With every operation of the unstagnant mind of man upon the truth, the question must arise, "What did Christ mean?"
So it has proved. There is not a word uttered by Christ that has not met a great number of diverse interpretations, some of them intelligent, some immensely attractive, but contradicting each other. How are we to know? Without a teacher - to tell us, beyond the possibility of error, which of the various meanings is Christ's - we should have no revelation but only an ever growing pile of conundrums."

This is a beautiful, clear way of explaining some of the thoughts that went through my head before I decided to become Catholic. There were too many people running around interpreting things differently, and even though some interpretations were very intelligent, they could also be contradictory. I knew that God would no have left us to live in a world of chaos! There had to be A truth out there to find.