All the celebrating of St. John the Baptist this weekend got me thinking ...
What if he acted like us?
What if, instead of shouting the famous "Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!", he said:
"Psst ... see that Guy? He might be the Christ, but I'm not sure. Let's wait and see if He gives us any proof."
or
"Hey guys ... huddle up for a minute ... see that Guy over there? He is the Savior. Now, don't say anything because we don't want to offend anyone, okay?"
or
"Wow, look, it's the Son of God! I have to go do a couple of things, but hopefully He is still here when I'm done."
or
"Jesus! You have finally come to us! Here is a list of all the things I would like ..."
Thank goodness Jesus had St. John, instead of us, as His original herald.
But the truth is, the Lord still needs us to proclaim to the world that He is here. Just better than we are doing now ...
I sat pondering what I could post about the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
I mean, what could I write that hasn't been written? What else could I say about the most holy of Sacraments?
The only thought that kept popping in my head was ... what if no one wrote about it?
At first I laughed at myself, questioning how one of the most important events in history would go unrecorded.
But the more I thought about it, the more I decided it wasn't that improbable.
After all, there is evidence that the early disciples did not understand everything Jesus did to the fullest. (Heck, who is to say we even do!)
What if they just second guessed what Jesus really meant? It wasn't the easiest event to decipher in retrospect. What if they just glossed over it during the mayhem that ensued shortly thereafter, forgetting the command to repeat that meal in memory of our Lord?
And even if they didn't forget it, surely they thought twice about trying to explain to folks that normal bread and wine miraculously changed into the actual Body and Blood of a Carpenter, right?
How about convincing people that eating the Body of their Teacher was not cannibalism?
Of course, I'm sure the Holy Spirit would have inspired them had they taken a different course.
But as our priest held up the Blessed Host and uttered "Take this, all of you and eat it", I not only thanked our Savior as I always do, but I also thanked the Evangelists for passing on this most Blessed Sacrament through their writings.
If you asked me in a religious setting who I was, I would probably stumble a bit and mumble some version of "a devoted Catholic who loves God and tries his best to stay in his Grace and make him happy."
But the other day You Love Me Anyway by Sidewalk Prophets came on the radio, and the lyrics made me think twice about that answer ...
I am the thorn in Your crown but You love me anyway I am the sweat from Your brow but You love me anyway I am the nail in Your wrist but You love me anyway I am Judas' kiss but You love me anyway
See now I am the man that yelled out from the crowd For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes, then I turned around away with this smile on my face With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You So ashamed of my life, my life, my life but you love me anyway
A teenage boy had just gotten his driver's license and inquired of his father as to when they could discuss his use of the car.
His father said he'd make a deal with his son: "You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible a little, and get your hair cut. Then we'll talk about the car." The boy thought about that for a moment, decided he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.
After about six weeks his father said, "Son, you've brought your grades up and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I'm disappointed you haven't gotten your hair cut."
The boy said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair...and there's even strong evidence that Jesus had long hair."
To this his father replied, "Did you also notice they all walked everywhere they went?"
Appropriate, given that it's Mother's Day Weekend.
Also appropriate because, as you know, I'm constantly wondering right along with that song. Did Mary know ... really know ... what was ahead of her? Did she know her Son was going to walk on water, give sight to the blind and calm storms with His hand? Did she realize how He was going to save us all? That she was kissing the face of God?
I thought to myself that the same uncertainty, albeit on a much more human level, can be asked of all you mothers out there. Did you really know what is was going to be like to have a child? How little sleep you would get? How much attention you would have to give? How much pain you would be in when you saw your child hurting? How many times you would question yourself?
Then it dawned on me that that second set of questions applied to Mary as well. Aside from the Holy path she was walking in raising our Savior, she was also experiencing all the "normal" situations, problems, and emotions of just being an "earthly" Mom.
I am guilty of taking that part for granted when I think about our Blessed Mother's life here on earth. How she dealt with both at the same time, I will never know.
But I'm thankful she did, and I'm thankful she is our Holy Mother.
God Bless, and Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and Godmothers out there.
You are walking in the park, and all of a sudden three men jump out of the bushes and tackle you.
They start punching you over and over.
Then one of them grabs a branch and starts hitting you with it.
Another pulls out a knife and starts stabbing you in the arms and legs.
They drag you to the middle of the park, and prop you up on a bench.
A crowd gathers to watch.
You are beaten, bloodied, and embarrassed.
One of the men then falsely tells the crowd that you were a criminal ... and proceeds to shout out a list of horrific things you supposedly did. He then pulls out a gun and points it right at your head, asking you if you have any last words.
Choose your answer:
a) Why did you do this to me, I don't even know you?
b) I (expletive) hate (expletive) all of you (expletive).
c) I didn't do any of those things you said I did. You have to believe me! I swear!
All the celebrating of St. John the Baptist this weekend got me thinking ...
