It’s Halloween again. My how it seems to come so quickly. Last year on Halloween, in this blog, I said of the big day;
“Every club, across America, on different nights throws Halloween parties, "Costume Balls", "Monster Mashes" , whatever you want to call it. It's a time when children go from door to door, dressed as their favorite superhero, collecting candy and other treats. Its a time when adults have the freedom to act like children, and get all dressed up in costumes and go to parties. It's a time when girls can dress like whores and nobody can say anything about it, and when men can dress like women and nobody bats an eye.
What is it about Halloween that makes so many people get so much "in the spirit". Even I - who publicly hates Halloween, when the night comes and I am in a costume, and slingin drinks behind the bar - I somehow end up "getting into it".
It certainly provides a nice distraction from our everyday life. We can forget our worries, our fears, our stresses, and enjoy a night of pretty much mindless fun with our friends. It's an opportunity we don't often have in our everyday lives, to let loose without concern, and make fools of ourselves. On the deeper level we re-connect with the child in all of us. We return to the days when we didn't care what other people thought of us. We re-gain a certain amount of innocence because we let go of our pride, and return to the days when life was simple.”
I really think that it’s true. We enjoy reverting for that one night to those old days when life was simple. When we didn’t have bills to worry about, or careers, or relationships, or rents or mortgages. The big worry was scoring the best candy, and what a friend thought about our costume. And don’t we deserve it? The reality of it is life is complicated. It’s VERY complicated. We burn ourselves out, if we aren’t careful, and we need that moment away.
It is all together appropriate that the Gospel on Halloween is the story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, which in Bible times meant big time sinner. They were believed to have been men who stole from the tax payers, and were vapid of any values. Jesus was preaching in his town, so Zacchaeus climbed a tree and hid up there to watch Jesus pass by. When Jesus saw him, he called him down from the tree, and told him he needed a place to stay. The people all started talking “Jesus is staying with a sinner, with a tax collector”.
It fits in well with the Halloween message. Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but he felt he couldn’t because of who he was. Halloween is a day when we all get to be someone else, and no one judges us. In a way, in the Christian life, we don’t need Halloween, because everyday of our lives, we can be who we really are - and Jesus doesn’t judge us. Maybe that’s part of the stress of our everyday lives. Because among all the bills, the relationships, the stress, etc - we are also constantly trying to purport some kind of image. It’s human nature. We spend our time trying to show the world that we are more then what we are, because we have goals of what we want to be, but we haven’t reached them yet. And we have flaws that we don’t want the world to see, so we hide them. We have stress that we want everyone to think we can handle, even when we can’t. Zacchaeus understood that, that’s why he hid in the tree. He knew that society thought certain things about him, weather they were true or not. He knew that he would be judged by the crowd if he stood among them to see Jesus, but Jesus Himself pulled him down from the tree, and in fact had dinner with him that very night. Zacchaeus was able to return to that childlike mentality, that the things of his current worldly life didn’t matter, he wanted to see Jesus, and he was granted that desire.
Every year on Halloween we wear costumes, we wear outfits that we know we would be mocked for wearing any other night of the year, and we say “Whatever, it’s Halloween.” The story of Zacchaeus teaches us that its ok for us to have that attitude all year round, because Jesus loves the REAL us. My father once said, “Hey, love it or shove it”. That’s a very true statement. We are who we are. We are who God made us, and we can never truly grow, we will never really achieve our goals, and our hopes and dreams, unless we present the real us. On Halloween we present a fake outer image, so that we can be our true inward selves. Maybe the rest of the year we can try to be our real inward selves more often, and forget the stress and nonsense of daily life. God, and the people who love us, love us for the real “us”, not the image we project. Its ironic that on Halloween, the external becomes just that, an external, and the internal becomes more honest then ever. Because the real internal “us”, is adults who suffer from the adult world, and long for the days of innocence, stress free living, and when life was much simpler.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Called to Love
The inspiration for my thoughts today comes from a most surprising source. Well, surprising to those of you who are faithful readers of this Blog. Bishop Tobin, in his weekly column in the “Rhode Island Catholic” produced a point that I found very intriguing, honest, and sincere on the issue of Homosexuality. He received a letter from a gentleman in the Diocese who recently learned that his grandson is gay. In his critique to the Bishop he argued;
“Many men and women could not find themselves in love with a person of the same sex unless God made them that way. What is very serious is the attitude of disapproval and even violence that is often extended to gays. We are called to love everyone and not to be judgmental. When Church leaders speak out, it gives silent permission to others not to love gays.”
As the Bishop continued in his thoughts on the matter he said this;
“But the letter I received points to a broader dilemma for the Church, a dilemma the Church faces just about everyday as she navigates her way through the trials and turmoil of the contemporary world. The question is this: How does the Church preach the truth of the Gospel without harming or alienating people whose lives are touched by those issues?”
You see I would agree that the Church has a mission to preach the Gospel. Some of the manifestations of that message, undoubtedly get fogged, and misinterpreted as it passes through the filter of humanity, but the mission is there none the less.
I would never imagine Bishop Tobin to stand in a pulpit and support Gay Marriage, for example. As the Shepherd of the Roman Catholic Community in RI, he is called by God to not do such a thing. Similarly, I would never expect MY Bishop to stand in a pulpit and preach AGAINST it. I think that once we decide that we subscribe to a certain theology, then we subscribe to all of it, not just the parts that we find comfortable. Which is why we are always careful not to judge others, because how many of us really and truly at every moment of everyday , live the life we subscribe to perfectly. We certainly try, but it doesn’t always happen.
It has been implied in the past from a good number of more then one individual, that I use my blog to promote Independent Catholicism, and take people from Roman Catholic Pews. That could not be further from the truth. What I hope is that readers will stop and think about their own lives. You see I think that so often we get so wrapped up in our own lives, and our own issues we forget about the bigger picture.
Election Season is a prime example of that. Many people vote soley based on one issue. There are gays who only vote based on that issue, there are Conservative Catholics who vote based soley on the Abortion issue. Its so easy to sometimes campaign against something that we feel strongly about, but there are so many other issues out there to think about. With so many issues floating around out there, its nearly impossible sometimes to find a candidate that we agree 100 percent on with everything they say.
So to Bishop Tobin, I say kudos for acknowledging a very realistic thing that faces the Roman Church today. Indeed it faces any major organized Religion that subscribes to Christianity. Just as it is a challenge for Bishop Tobin to speak out as he is called to, without alienating anyone, so too it is difficult in other faiths. The Independent Catholic movement is very faithful in it’s commitment to same sex couples having the same rights as any other couple, yet that doesn’t give me the right to speak in anger against the Roman Church. I know that I have in the past, but I don’t have the right to do so. All of us who are involved in any form of Christian Ministry are called to stand up for what we believe, without apology. . . However, that doesn’t give us the right to attack one another, otherwise we become as petty as the many quote we see on the front page of the paper, as people bash one another in the political campaigns.
Let’s take Bishop Tobin’s advise, and be strong in what we believe, let’s live every part of it everyday, realizing that we don’t need to attack those who stand on the other side of the fence, because the primary mission of Christianity is to love, and to love all. We don’t have to agree, but we are called to love.
God Bless You
“Many men and women could not find themselves in love with a person of the same sex unless God made them that way. What is very serious is the attitude of disapproval and even violence that is often extended to gays. We are called to love everyone and not to be judgmental. When Church leaders speak out, it gives silent permission to others not to love gays.”
As the Bishop continued in his thoughts on the matter he said this;
“But the letter I received points to a broader dilemma for the Church, a dilemma the Church faces just about everyday as she navigates her way through the trials and turmoil of the contemporary world. The question is this: How does the Church preach the truth of the Gospel without harming or alienating people whose lives are touched by those issues?”
You see I would agree that the Church has a mission to preach the Gospel. Some of the manifestations of that message, undoubtedly get fogged, and misinterpreted as it passes through the filter of humanity, but the mission is there none the less.
I would never imagine Bishop Tobin to stand in a pulpit and support Gay Marriage, for example. As the Shepherd of the Roman Catholic Community in RI, he is called by God to not do such a thing. Similarly, I would never expect MY Bishop to stand in a pulpit and preach AGAINST it. I think that once we decide that we subscribe to a certain theology, then we subscribe to all of it, not just the parts that we find comfortable. Which is why we are always careful not to judge others, because how many of us really and truly at every moment of everyday , live the life we subscribe to perfectly. We certainly try, but it doesn’t always happen.
It has been implied in the past from a good number of more then one individual, that I use my blog to promote Independent Catholicism, and take people from Roman Catholic Pews. That could not be further from the truth. What I hope is that readers will stop and think about their own lives. You see I think that so often we get so wrapped up in our own lives, and our own issues we forget about the bigger picture.
Election Season is a prime example of that. Many people vote soley based on one issue. There are gays who only vote based on that issue, there are Conservative Catholics who vote based soley on the Abortion issue. Its so easy to sometimes campaign against something that we feel strongly about, but there are so many other issues out there to think about. With so many issues floating around out there, its nearly impossible sometimes to find a candidate that we agree 100 percent on with everything they say.
So to Bishop Tobin, I say kudos for acknowledging a very realistic thing that faces the Roman Church today. Indeed it faces any major organized Religion that subscribes to Christianity. Just as it is a challenge for Bishop Tobin to speak out as he is called to, without alienating anyone, so too it is difficult in other faiths. The Independent Catholic movement is very faithful in it’s commitment to same sex couples having the same rights as any other couple, yet that doesn’t give me the right to speak in anger against the Roman Church. I know that I have in the past, but I don’t have the right to do so. All of us who are involved in any form of Christian Ministry are called to stand up for what we believe, without apology. . . However, that doesn’t give us the right to attack one another, otherwise we become as petty as the many quote we see on the front page of the paper, as people bash one another in the political campaigns.
Let’s take Bishop Tobin’s advise, and be strong in what we believe, let’s live every part of it everyday, realizing that we don’t need to attack those who stand on the other side of the fence, because the primary mission of Christianity is to love, and to love all. We don’t have to agree, but we are called to love.
God Bless You
Monday, October 4, 2010
Birthdays and Old Friends
This weekend I had the pleasure of celebrating two Birthdays, of two very special friends. Two individuals who have both opened not only their hearts, but their very families to me along the way in life.
The readings of today’s Mass, on this Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, contain the story of the Good Samaritan. This story is not strange to any of us, I’m sure we all know the story of the man left beaten by robbers on the side of the road, and everyone ignores him, thinking that it is someone else’s problem. We also hear the lesson of Jesus, to “love your neighbor as yourself”.
This message of Jesus rang through so clearly in these last few days. In addition to these two celebrations, yesterday I also had the opportunity to re-connect with an old friend, who I had thought I had lost, due to my own stupidity. In all three of these people, I can think of no better example of the message that Jesus preaches then them.
You see, to be Christ to others doesn’t take much. It’s just about being a good person. All three of the individuals I mentioned above, have at one point or another laid down their own crosses, to help me carry mine. At some point in my life they have all died to themselves, so that they could be there for me. I have been very blessed in my life, with good friends, and plenty of shoulders to cry on whenever I needed one.
When I have been in financial crisis these individuals have been there to pull me out of the gutter, and take me out for an evening on the town, so I could get away from my problems, even for one night. When I have faced difficulties in life that no one else could understand they were always there. We have celebrated Birthdays, Holidays, and special occasions together, and cried together when life has thrown us curve balls. This is what Jesus meant.
My thought process cant help but turn to those who are not so fortunate. Like all the many GBLT teenagers have taken their own lives due to the harassment they have endured at the hands of others. These are people who have become so desperate in life, and have lacked that support, that they became hopeless, and threw in the towel.
You see we are called by Jesus in today’s Gospel, to “love your neighbor”. As Jesus goes on to make clear we are called to love all of our neighbors. The recent events in the news are a wake up call, that we never know how our actions may effect someone.
It can easily be said that the kids in NJ who broadcasted the intimate experience of his gay roommate on the Internet did not know what would happen. It can easily be said that he didn’t know that his young friend would take his own life on the GW Bridge. That’s exactly the point.
Let’s all try to be a better neighbor to one another. Let’s be conscious of what we say and do to others. Just like our actions, which seem like no big deal can make a positive effect in the life of someone else, the opposite can happen just as easily. That’s how we can contribute to fixing the situation that faces the world today in the loss of such young life. . . Love your neighbor. In this world there is plenty of hurt, and stress, and anger. . . Let’s be radicals, and contribute to the love.
The readings of today’s Mass, on this Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, contain the story of the Good Samaritan. This story is not strange to any of us, I’m sure we all know the story of the man left beaten by robbers on the side of the road, and everyone ignores him, thinking that it is someone else’s problem. We also hear the lesson of Jesus, to “love your neighbor as yourself”.
This message of Jesus rang through so clearly in these last few days. In addition to these two celebrations, yesterday I also had the opportunity to re-connect with an old friend, who I had thought I had lost, due to my own stupidity. In all three of these people, I can think of no better example of the message that Jesus preaches then them.
You see, to be Christ to others doesn’t take much. It’s just about being a good person. All three of the individuals I mentioned above, have at one point or another laid down their own crosses, to help me carry mine. At some point in my life they have all died to themselves, so that they could be there for me. I have been very blessed in my life, with good friends, and plenty of shoulders to cry on whenever I needed one.
When I have been in financial crisis these individuals have been there to pull me out of the gutter, and take me out for an evening on the town, so I could get away from my problems, even for one night. When I have faced difficulties in life that no one else could understand they were always there. We have celebrated Birthdays, Holidays, and special occasions together, and cried together when life has thrown us curve balls. This is what Jesus meant.
My thought process cant help but turn to those who are not so fortunate. Like all the many GBLT teenagers have taken their own lives due to the harassment they have endured at the hands of others. These are people who have become so desperate in life, and have lacked that support, that they became hopeless, and threw in the towel.
You see we are called by Jesus in today’s Gospel, to “love your neighbor”. As Jesus goes on to make clear we are called to love all of our neighbors. The recent events in the news are a wake up call, that we never know how our actions may effect someone.
It can easily be said that the kids in NJ who broadcasted the intimate experience of his gay roommate on the Internet did not know what would happen. It can easily be said that he didn’t know that his young friend would take his own life on the GW Bridge. That’s exactly the point.
Let’s all try to be a better neighbor to one another. Let’s be conscious of what we say and do to others. Just like our actions, which seem like no big deal can make a positive effect in the life of someone else, the opposite can happen just as easily. That’s how we can contribute to fixing the situation that faces the world today in the loss of such young life. . . Love your neighbor. In this world there is plenty of hurt, and stress, and anger. . . Let’s be radicals, and contribute to the love.
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