How to Evangelize Like St. Philip

01 Monday May 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization

Tags

Acts 8:26-40, Ethiopian Eunuch, Evangelization, Evangelizing, Jesus, Love, Mt 28:19, St. Philip the Deacon, St. Philip the Evangelist

In last Thursday’s first Scripture reading, Acts 8:26-40, we read where St. Philip the Evangelist (the deacon, not the Apostle), at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, met, instructed, converted and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Philip took to heart the Great Commission handed down by Jesus to, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 28:19).

Let’s take a look at evangelization. What is it exactly?

In a very simple sense, it is telling someone else about something near and dear to your heart. Something you love. People know that I love pizza, I love my wife and family, I love to mow grass, and I love to fly fish in a mountain stream. They know these things because I talk about them. I don’t keep them a secret.

But, there’s something I love even more than pizza, my family, my zero turn mower, and fly fishing. I love Jesus. People who know me know this because I tell them. And, to people I don’t know, I write about my love for Him in this blog. It’s one way in which I spread the Gospel (which means “Good News” by the way). It’s really no different than telling someone the good news of when you have a new grandchild, when you get a new car, or when you’ve become engaged.

Sadly, the word evangelization makes people uncomfortable. It brings about visions of knocking on doors, of preaching from a street corner with a bull horn, and of putting one’s self in difficult situations where you might get asked questions to which you don’t have answers. But, turn that around and look at it from the other side. There are millions of people out there who have questions and are seeking answers. Questions about how to be happier, how to feel loved, how to deal with suffering. Questions about God and Jesus. Questions that are just waiting for answers from those of us who experience the happiness associated with Christ’s love, and the value of suffering that comes with our faith. Answers that will help bring about positive change in another person. Answers that will ultimately save souls.

We all know people who are searching for something better. They may be family, friends, a co-worker, the next door neighbor, your child’s little league coach or piano teacher. People you know who see you and see what you have and want some of it for themselves. They may not feel comfortable in coming to you directly. But, if you’re observant, you can see the signs – signs that they’re hurting, lonely, afraid.

My conversion experience began with two men who befriended me, saw my struggles, and with love and patience, brought me to an encounter with Christ where I had a “Pauline” experience and got knocked off my horse. And, then, those two men and several other “Ananaises” brought me even closer to our Lord and helped me get to know Him.

With my conversion, I immediately felt Christ’s love for me, but I’d be lying to say I was immediately an evangelist. No, it took a while for me to learn to love Him back and to build up my faith with a strong interior life. That transformation took place through deep and consistent daily prayer during which my relationship with Jesus grew stronger. I talked to Him and, in meditating on His Word, I listened to what He had to say to me. By acting on His promptings I grew in virtue, in holiness. People noticed. They began coming to me for answers of how to know Jesus better.

So, how can you evangelize others? First, get to know them (and that applies to family members as well as strangers). Invite them into your life. Make friends with them. Build relationships. Share meals and good conversations. Get to know what makes them happy and what their struggles are. Create an atmosphere where they feel comfortable asking the questions for which they are desperately seeking answers. And, most of all, pray for them!

At some point you can begin talking more openly about your faith, telling them about Jesus. To start, maybe you invite them to the parish picnic. Soon, they might join you in a Bible study. Perhaps, then, they will come and experience mass with you. As they start growing in their relationship with Jesus, take them deeper in understanding His life by leading them in a meditation of the mysteries of the Rosary. And, never stop praying for them. Put all these things together and you have become an evangelist. You are making disciples.

The Ethiopian eunuch whom St. Philip evangelized went back to his country and began spreading the Good News to his queen and fellow countrymen. That one disciple became a disciple maker. Soon, Christianity spread throughout that region and the Catholic Church in Ethiopia became one of the first Orthodox Christian Churches outside of the Roman Empire and is still strong today.

Jesus not only gave the Great Commission to the Apostles, he gave it to us. We are called to make disciples who will go on to become disciple makers themselves. Our parish needs it. Our Church needs it. Humanity needs it.

With whom will you meet today or tomorrow that will bring an opportunity to begin a beautiful new relationship that will ultimately bring them to Christ? Be like St. Philip the Evangelist!

(How to Evangelize Like St. Philip was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2023 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Teachable Moments

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Do Not Fear, Jesus, John 6:16-21, Prayer, Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Mentoring, Teachable Moment

Thirty years ago when I was a middle manager in operations with an interstate natural gas pipeline company I had a vice president who intimidated me to no end. He didn’t do it intentionally, rather it was my pride, and perhaps lack of confidence, that permitted the anxiety I felt whenever I had to meet with or give a presentation to him.

His name was Theopolis (which I didn’t realize until I looked up the etymology of that name a few minutes ago that it means “Loved by God”). Theo was actually a kind man, a faith-filled man, soft spoken, and he usually wore a smile on his face and had a gleam in his eye. And he was intelligent – super intelligent – and experienced. He had worked his way up through the ranks, had previously been in my position and knew everything there was to know about my role and those of the engineers who reported to me.

It was impossible to slide something new past Theo, or to hide some mistake. He knew the ropes. In a regulated and safety conscious industry, there was little leeway to color outside the lines. But, he wasn’t averse to one doing so if there was a good reason and a good plan for improving something. His method of determining whether one’s intentions were good enough, or to get to the bottom of something that didn’t go as expected, was to gently question the poor unfortunate soul to see if they had thoroughly thought through the process. When the root cause of a problem or the glitch in a plan eventually surfaced, Theo would smile and say, “What we have here is a teachable moment.” He would then help you realize what could have been done differently or better based on his knowledge and experience.

Theo passed away ten years or so ago and I probably haven’t thought about him since I retired six years ago….until this morning when I read and meditated on today’s Gospel passage, John 6:16-21. This morning I saw him as not always being critical of what I did, but as a mentor and teacher.

After feeding the five thousand, Jesus went up the mountain to pray and the Apostles got in their boat and set out across the sea to Capernaum. On the way, the wind and seas picked up causing the crew to have some heightened anxiety. Jesus, foreseeing their fears, then came to them walking on the water, which, to the crew of experienced fishermen, may have been an embarrassment before their master and teacher. Jesus, told them, “It is I. Do not be afraid”.

Whether you’re a young engineer and middle manager or an experienced fisherman, it’s good to have someone who’s been there and done that, who can help you through the rough times. Someone who can see beyond the immediate situation and find “teachable moments” to ease the tension and dispel the anxiety.

It’s a beautiful thing to learn from the experiences of those who have gone before us, from their mistakes and successes. The Apostles and early Christians were, in a sense, just trying to figure things out. They pioneered the New Way with Jesus as their leader. They had no prior experience or self-study history books on which to fall back. Their’s was a new learning experience every day. And, Jesus, as their mentor, found “teachable moments” around every corner, especially when his followers, in their anxiety, needed to be told, “Do not fear.”

We still struggle with anxiety born from trying to do everything on our own. We forget that Jesus is with us always, even in the midst of life’s storms. We are fortunate in our faith, however, that the lessons learned by the Apostles and the early Christians have been captured for us in Scripture and in the sacred writings of the saints. We need to remember that every time we pick up and read from our Bible or the spiritual writings of the saints, we are in the middle of a “teachable moment”.

Even then, trying to learn under our own power can be difficult and frustrating. As Catholics, we are also fortunate to have available to us Spiritual Mentors who will walk with us on our journey of living a Holy life. Spiritual Mentors are trained to ask questions that help us see what we can’t see for ourselves, and to gently provide “teachable moments” that help us steer around the difficulties of life.

If you are interested in learning more about spiritual mentorship, or receiving spiritual mentorship from a trained mentor, or interested in becoming a Spiritual Mentor yourself, please leave me a comment, and I’ll be happy to help you.

“Lord Jesus, too often do I try to navigate rough waters on my own, forgetting that You are always with me. In my times of prayer, Lord, give me the grace to realize Your presence, be attentive to Your gentle guidance, and learn from those “teachable moments”. Help me also, Lord, as a Spiritual Mentor of other men, to help them find peace in their lives by relying on Your help. Amen.”

(Teachable Moments was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Leftovers

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Faith, Feeding the 5000, Holy Eucharist, Jesus, John 6:1-15, Leftovers, Living Water, Meditation, Multiplication of the Loaves, Prayer

There are plusses and minuses to being married empty nesters. One positive is saving money on groceries, but an associated negative is the difficulty in preparing meals for only two people. Most recipes are designed for at least four which, when followed, means there are usually leftovers. That can be a problem if you’re one of those people who doesn’t care for leftovers, but for those of us who are fine with them and would rather not waste good food, it can be a really good thing! When you accumulate enough leftovers you get a bye on deciding what to cook from scratch every now and then.

Also, leftovers, like a spicy pot of chili, just get better after they’ve “seasoned” for an extra day or two. Even a pineapple upside-down cake like the one my wife made for my birthday this week just gets better each successive day as the pineapple juice and brown sugar syrup soak into the cake below.

I was thinking about leftovers yesterday morning as I read the day’s scripture during my morning meditation. The Gospel, John 6:1-15, told the story about the multiplication of the loaves and fishes for feeding the five thousand. After instructing the crowd to recline in the grass, “Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much of the fish that they wanted. When they had had their fill He said to His disciples, ‘Gather the fragments leftover so that nothing will be wasted.’ So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat.” Jesus’ miracle transformed five loaves and two fish into enough food to nourish and curb the appetites of five thousand people with enough leftovers to repeat again and again.

Taking the bread and giving thanks is a prefiguring of the miracle performed at every mass when, at the epiclesis, the priest calls upon the Holy Spirit and consecrates the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. In receiving the Blessed Sacrament, we are at a feast and being fed with all the graces we need to live Holy lives.

But, we are also nourished and sated by the Word of God in Scripture. When we pray and meditate daily on the life of Jesus in the Gospels, we are lovingly fed with as much as we can eat in one sitting. We are given exactly what we need for that day to be virtuous souls. Our job is to listen to and savor His Word, swallow it by relating it to our lives in the present moment, and then digest it by resolving to apply what we hear to living in a more virtuous way. Then, we simply have to return to the table and repeat each and every day to partake in the perpetual and eternal leftovers. No worries about not getting enough, about eating too much, or the food spoiling. There will always be another full and satisfying meal the next day. And, just as day-old chili gets more flavorful, and pineapple upside-down cake gets more moist, each “meal” just gets better!

Jesus will always give us enough to nourish our souls if we invite Him, through prayer, into our hearts to feed us. What nourishment do you need today? Sit at the table, partake of the meal, savor each bite, and rejoice that there are enough leftovers for all the days to come.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for slaking my hunger by feeding me with Your Word, and for quenching my thirst with the Living Water, Your Son, Jesus. I know through faith that You will never let me go hungry as long as I keep returning to the table through prayer and the Sacraments. Amen.”

(Leftovers was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Follow The Star!

08 Sunday Jan 2023

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Faith

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Bethlehem, Epiphany, Epiphany of the Lord, Hope, Impossible Dream, Jesus, Magi, Perseverance, Three Kings, Virtue, Wisemen

One of my memories as a pre-teen kid in the late sixties is of playing records (vinyl LPs) on my parent’s console stereo. These stereos were large pieces of furniture with a sliding top, a record player on one side, an AM/FM radio in the middle and a well for storing albums on the other side.

My folks listened primarily to crooners popular at the time, one of which was Jack Jones. In 1966, Jones recorded and released a popular song, The Impossible Dream. My folks had that record and it was spun on that state of the art Hi-Fi quite often. It was a good sing-a-long song that you could really get into. I can still remember most of the lyrics:

To dream the impossible dreamTo fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To be better by far than you are

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far

To be willing to give when there’s no more to give

To be willing to die so that honor and justice may live

And I know if I’ll only be true to this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I’m laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this

That one man scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable star

The song encourages you to follow your dreams even when they seem unachievable, to persevere and never give up, and to do what is right in the face of adversity. This dream, the ultimate goal, is the unreachable star.

This memory came to mind as I was meditating on the Epiphany of the Lord, which we celebrate today, in remembrance of the day the Three Kings reached Bethlehem and gazed upon the infant Jesus. Three wise men, astronomers who saw the star, had the grace to interpret its meaning and the gumption to follow it. They had no idea of where the star would lead them but they knew they were called to follow it.

They came from afar and their journey had to be long and arduous. I’m sure they encountered many dangers on their trek. They weren’t the only people who saw the star. But, they were the only ones who put their hearts and minds to the task of following it. They probably faced much ridicule to undertake such a crazy quest, one that had no foreseeable promise at the other end. But, they had hope for something magnificently good when they reached their destination.

I doubt that the Impossible Dream was written with much, if any, thought given to its relevance to this Christian tradition of ours. But it suits it to a tee – with one exception. Our dream is not impossible to achieve. It may seem that way at times when we are struggling with our sin, with difficult relationships, and periods of dryness in our prayer lives. Our quest is not hopeless – Jesus, our Star, has promised us that we will reach him if we persevere by living lives of virtue. Sometimes it feels as though we are marching through Hell, but our Heavenly cause is to grow in faith. Our faith tells us that if we stay true to our Lord, our souls will rest peacefully with Him in heaven after our time on earth is over. And, finally, because we don’t give up, we will be better people, better disciples, better spouses, parents, children and friends, and we will make the world a better place.

Follow The Star! Persevere. You may get scorned and scarred along the way, but strive with every ounce of courage you have. Like the Magi who gazed upon Jesus with unimaginable admiration, you will, too.

(Follow The Star! was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Lift High the Cross

15 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Adoration, Faith, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, God-moments, Grace, Jesus, Lift High the Cross

I have had the great fortune to spend this week at the Savior Pastoral Center in Kansas City, Kansas attending the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship Program as an alumni staff member. As always, it has been an absolutely awesome week! I received a text this evening from my spiritual director back home in Ohio asking me how my week is going and that he is praying for me. I responded that, once again, it has been an amazing experience in an amazing place with amazing people and I still have three days left! I added my thoughts about why it is that way, “It’s 100 people all seeking the same thing – holiness and the desire to help other men and women to do the same. It’s the spiritual friendship that is developed from that common desire. It’s communion with God and with each other! I wish you could be here, too.”

His response: “Amen! The Lord’s prerogative! His words at the Last Supper: ‘I pray for them, that they may be one…me in them, I in You, and You in Me, that we may all be one!’”

Did I tell you I love my spiritual director?

I wish each and every one of you could be here! We receive so many graces and feel the presence of Christ in so many ways, especially through our interaction with the students and staff.

Yesterday I posted Recognizing Miracles: How You Can Resurrect the Dead in which I suggested that the dead or lukewarm spiritual lives of people we know can be resurrected by our witness to the presence of God in our lives. I want to practice what I preach by passing on to you a special moment from yesterday.

Wednesday was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a feast that was first celebrated in Rome before the end of the 7th century. It commemorates the recovery of that portion of the Holy Cross which was preserved at Jerusalem, and which had fallen into the hands of the Persians. It was recovered and brought back to Jerusalem in the year 629.

At mass yesterday morning in the chapel we sang the hymn Lift High the Cross. The song’s refrain goes:

“Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim

’Til all the world adore his sacred name.”

The cross, that instrument of death which the Romans utilized to put fear in anyone who might think to counter their authority. The cross, upon which Jesus died for our sins so that we might have eternal life. The cross that, because of His resurrection, became a symbol of victory to all believers and, ironically, was used by Christians to thumb their noses at Roman persecution.

As I sang those words I thought how it explained our mission perfectly, to proclaim the love of Christ so that the world will adore Him.

Later in the day we were gathered in the chapel for Adoration and Reconciliation. At the end of the Holy Hour I lingered for a few minutes as the others processed out. When I bowed to take my leave, I looked up at the crucifix behind the altar and froze in wonder. I took this photo so that I could share it with you.

The shadow behind Jesus on the cross, which isn’t visible most of the day, struck me as an image of God lifting the cross high as if to say, “Here is my only Son Who gave His life for you! Adore Him and proclaim His sacred name!” Can you see it?

This is how God works in your life when you are open to receiving His love and reassurance that He is with you at all times! You see and feel His presence in so many and unexpected ways.

Ask our Lord to open your heart so that you may readily feel His presence, too.

I would love to hear of how you’ve seen or felt God working in your life lately. Please feel free to share by adding a comment. Thank you and God bless!

“Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to feel Your presence in my life. ‘I adore You, O Christ, and I bless You, for by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world’. Amen.”

(Lift High the Cross was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2022 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Is Your Faith Contagious?

06 Tuesday Sep 2022

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Evangelization, Faith

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Bring a friend to Christ, Evangelization, Faith, Jesus, Jesus the Divine Physician

Jesus, the Divine Physician – St. James Catholic Church, Duluth, MN

In today’s Gospel, Luke 6:12-19, Luke tells of the great multitude of people who sought out Jesus to be healed of their diseases and to be cured of the torment of unclean spirits. Luke doesn’t elaborate on how this great multitude of people learned about Jesus’ healing. But, I suspect it happened by word of mouth, by those who heralded the healing and curing power of Jesus to their family and friends.

Reflecting on this passage, I related to the poor tormented souls as I recalled a time when I was overwhelmed by stress and the exigencies of life which brought so much unhappiness. I wasn’t looking for Jesus to cure me, but I let friends who knew I needed Him carry me to His emergency room, an ER with zero wait time!

So, I ask myself today, have I been one of those friends who, after being cured, or having witnessed His healing, made the effort to tell others who need Him? I can say “Yes”, but reservedly. This blog is one way I get the word out. I evangelize through spiritually mentoring other men to develop their interior lives and their relationships with Jesus. I share my faith in small groups with other men who already have a strong faith. But, do I reach out effectively and proclaim the Good News to those who have not heard it or are indifferent to it? Is my faith contagious? I think I can do better.

How about you? Is your faith contagious? In what ways do you tell others about Jesus and His saving grace? How might you do better?

“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your constant presence in my life. Lord, open my heart to new ways to bring others to You, and, through Your grace, help me to realize the virtue of fortitude I need to be outgoing in bringing Your Word to others. Help me, Jesus, to live my life in a way that others want some of what I have. Amen.”

(Is Your Faith Contagious? was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Feed Your Flock

23 Wednesday Feb 2022

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Discipleship

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Tags

1 Pt 5:1-4, Discipleship, Faith, Feed my lambs, Feed my sheep, Jesus, Jn 21:15-17, Lk 9:13, Tend my sheep

(A reflection on 1 Pt 5:1-4)

Christ’s Charge to Peter, Raphael, c. 1515

One of the most significant moments in Simon Peter’s relationship with Jesus was the third time Jesus revealed Himself to them after His resurrection when He asked Peter three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter answered three times, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You!”. And three times Jesus asked Peter to take care of His flock. (Jn 21:15-17)

Peter obviously took that request to heart and remembered it for the rest of his life. In yesterday’s first scripture reading from 1 Pt 5:1-4, Peter writes to the Presbyters, the teachers of the faith, to tend to and be examples to the “flock of God”.

This passage struck me in a number of ways. First, I recalled the many sentiments that were offered from comments at our deanery’s recent Synod on Synodality meeting. Although those present were a mere microcosm of our Church, there seemed to be a general opinion that one of the problems in our Church today is that our bishops and priests are not adequately “feeding their sheep” or “tending their flock”.

Secondly, it brought to mind that we are all called to be teachers of the faith in one way or another – through our vocations as a parent or friend, through our occupations, and our volunteerism in various ministries. We only have to recall Jesus’ words to His disciples when He was faced with feeding the five thousand, “Give them some food yourselves” (Lk 9:13), to understand that He wants us to join with Him in His mission to save souls.

Today more than ever, our Lord needs us all, you and me, to help feed and tend His flock. Too many are not being fed and are straying to what looks like “greener” pasture in today’s world of materialism, idealism and relativism. Once they leap that fence they become easy prey for the wolves. We need to fertilize our “Catholic” pasture so that the grazing sates their appetites.

How do we tend to the flock? I think the first step is to set aside the idea that our faith is something that is done to us, that it’s someone else’s responsibility. With too few priests and deacons to go around, the laity needs to take some ownership in their personal faith formation and that of those in their “pasture”. We need to become better catechized, grow deeper in our relationships with Christ through prayer, and live virtuous lives that are examples of holiness to others.

Every person has an opportunity to be a witness to someone who is hungering for the Bread of Life and thirsting for the Living Water. We need to remember that Jesus gave us one mission, to make disciples of all nations, and we need to make that a priority in our lives. We don’t have to become missionaries or monks, we just need to live simply and find synergies in our everyday lives that will edify our families, friends and acquaintances.

We need to remember that the basic building block of our Church is not the parish, but rather our homes, the Domestic Church. If we want to rebuild our Church we need to recall how the Apostles and the first disciples lived after Christ’s death. Theirs was a two-pronged approach: to stick together and build and protect their community, and to draw others into it by teaching them the truth of the Gospel. We can do that with our families by practicing our faith with our children. We can live hospitality and invite people into our homes for friendship and good conversation which may lead to opportunities to pray together.

We need to look for opportunities to be charitable to those in need by practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.

We need to not be afraid to practice our faith in our work places as employers and employees; at school as educators and students; in athletics as fellow athletes and coaches; and where we volunteer.

Our faith ought to be personal but it should never be private. We need to be bold and leave others with no doubt about our love for Jesus.

Put more succinctly, as laity, we need to step up our game, take ownership and not depend on just our clergy to feed the flock. We need to survey our “pasture” of influence and determine who is grazing mindlessly in that pasture and on the verge of wandering off. We need to provide them with “green grass” that will nourish and satisfy their souls.

What is your pasture? Who is in your flock? How can you feed and tend to them with the love of Christ?

“Dear Jesus, thank you for providing priests and friends who, through their gentle love and care, have shepherded me in my faith life. I pray for the grace to do the same for those whom I mentor and lead to you through spiritual friendship. Amen.”

(Feed Your Flock was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

Recognizing Jesus

14 Tuesday Apr 2020

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Bible Reflections, Daily 100

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Jesus, Jn 20:11-18, Love, Mary of Magdela, Mercy

(A reflection on Jn 20:11-18)

As she wept at His tomb, Mary of Magdela encountered Jesus but didn’t recognize Him until He spoke to her compassionately, saying, “Mary, stop holding on to Me”. Then, obeying her teacher, Mary told the disciples with pure joy, “I have seen the Lord!”

I can’t see Jesus face to face in this life. But, I know He’s present every moment of my day. He sends His love to me through Holy Scripture and through my wife, children, friends and many of life’s circumstances. I need to better recognize Him and live such that others may recognize Him in me.

“Lord Jesus, today I resolve to recognize the kindness of others as Your love poured out through them. And, I resolve to be the instrument through whom your love and mercy may touch others. Amen.”

(Recognizing Jesus was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2020 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

St. Joseph: A Man of Mercy

18 Wednesday Dec 2019

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Advent

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Advent reflection, Forgiveness, Jason Gray, Jesus, Mercy, Miracle, St. Joseph

The Dream of St. Joseph, by Anton Raphael Mengs, 1774

Today’s Gospel is from Matthew 1:18-25, the story leading up to the birth of Jesus. Every year I am reminded about St. Joseph and what may have been going through his heart and mind when he learned that his betrothed was carrying a child that wasn’t his. My reminder is Jason Gray’s song, Forgiveness is a Miracle (A Song for Joseph) from his 2012 album Christmas Stories: Repeat the Sounding Joy, which I dig out of my CD case every year at the beginning of Advent.

Note: Much of this post is excerpted from the original, A Man of Mercy, from 5 December 2013. I am posting it here under a different title because since then we have garnered many new followers who may not have seen that post. Whether this is your first time to read this or your second, my hope is that it encourages you to find a way to grow in love and mercy, and in preparing your heart to be offered as a gift to our Lord on His birthday.

For me, I continue to be struck with each listening by the profound example that Gray paints for us of the mercy extended by Joseph to Mary. He gives us some insight into the divine wisdom of God. Both the Gospel and the song help me to remember God’s will for me every day is always about love.

As I delved into the song, I discovered that Gray had written an article for The Rabbit Room describing the story behind the song and he explores this difficult situation in which Joseph found himself. I have re-posted his article below and included a link to The Rabbit Room’s website. I hope you find it as thought provoking as I did.

The Story Behind “Forgiveness Is a Miracle”

by Jason Gray on October 16, 2012

As I approached writing songs for each of the characters in the Christmas story, I felt particularly protective of Joseph, who I think sometimes doesn’t get the attention he’s due. At the very least I know that I’ve been guilty of not really “seeing” him for the remarkable man that he was, and I wanted to amend that. I enlisted my friend Andy Gullahorn, one of the most masterful storytellers I know, to explore a particular moment in Joseph’s story with me.

Taking my cue from Frederick Buechner’s book, “Peculiar Treasures,” in which he breathes new life into biblical characters who have grown so familiar to us that we no longer experience them as real human beings, I hoped to recapture some of the humanity of the people in the Christmas narrative. It was also important to me to try and write songs that were relevant beyond the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas day. I wanted to tell timeless human stories, and with Joseph we have the makings of just that with a love triangle, a question of revenge or forgiveness, and the age old drama of fathers and sons.

As I read his part in the narrative, I found that more than just a foster parent without much to do (as he was often relegated to in my mind), Joseph is revealed as a man after God’s own heart. Faced not only with the news that his fiancée is pregnant, but also with her incredulous story of how it was God’s doing, Joseph’s character is tested and laid out for all of us to see. What will he do? Will he hurt the one who has hurt him? Will he forgive? This is his moment, and all of history waits and watches in wonder.

There are few things more painful than the betrayal and rejection by the one you love most, so we know it must have deeply wounded him—shattering the dreams he may have had of a future with the girl he loved. Pain is like a lightning bolt striking with a violent energy that can’t be held in the human heart for long. It looks for a way out. The way it usually passes through us is in the all too common progression of hurt turning into anger and then into vengeance. Unless the miracle of forgiveness takes place in a person’s heart to absorb it, the pain we experience will pass through us and be visited upon others.

There is debate as to whether it was within Joseph’s power to have her stoned—while Jewish custom might have allowed it, Roman rule did not. However, if not to her body, we know he still could have done violence to her reputation and her heart. But I believe that Joseph did the hard work of bringing his pain to God rather than letting it pass through him, and that God graced him with the miracle of forgiveness. The narrative tells us he was a “godly man” and that instead of doing her harm, “he decided to dismiss her quietly” so that she wouldn’t be publicly shamed. He took the full force of the blow and–acting as the husband he might have been–became a covering over her supposed sin.

It’s hard for us to experience the tension in Joseph’s story since, as the reader, we know from the start that she isn’t guilty of what he naturally supposes and that God is up to something beautiful that the world has never seen before. But to see Joseph for who he is, I have to remember that he couldn’t know these things in real time. It was only after he had given himself to the work of forgiveness that the angel appeared to him in a dream to tell him that what Mary had said was true after all, and that he should marry her.

It occurred to me that perhaps this is where Joseph’s heart was proven—if not to God who already knew his heart, then perhaps to himself. (I haven’t met a man yet who isn’t daunted by the responsibility of being a father, let alone a father to the Son of God. Maybe this was a test to reveal to Joseph what kind of man he could be.) In this moment he is found to be a man of mercy, which I imagine to be just the kind of man that God was looking for to be the earthly father of his son Jesus. In a way, we see that Joseph carries in his heart the same world changing power of forgiveness that Mary carried in her womb.

It’s also meaningful to me to think of how Joseph forgiving Mary is part of the story that leads to the birth of the savior in whom Joseph would find forgiveness for his own sins. Perhaps it’s the narrative form of Jesus’ teaching that as we forgive we find ourselves forgiven.

As we wrote the song, it was good to be reminded that forgiveness is a kind of miracle. I could be wrong, but I’m not sure that we can muster up forgiveness on our own. It seems to me to be a supernatural force of renewal that we participate in as we point our hearts toward it, pray for it, and make room for it in our lives, but that ultimately we receive it as a gift from God, in his due time.

Forgiveness Is A Miracle (A Song For Joseph)
By Jason Gray / Andy Gullahorn
From Christmas Stories: Repeat the Sounding Joy

Love can make a soul come alive
Love can draw a dream out of the darkness
And blow every door open wide
But love can leave you broken hearted

Did she dare to look you in the eye
Did her betrayal leave you raging?
Did you let her see you cry
When she said the child was not your baby?

Pain can turn to anger then to vengeance
It happens time and again
Even in the best of men
It takes a miracle to save us

When love is like an open wound
There’s no way to stop the bleeding
Did you lose sleep over what to do?
Between what’s just and what brings healing

Pain can be a road to find compassion
When we don’t understand, and bring a better end
It takes a miracle to show us

Forgiveness is a miracle
A miracle
And a miracle can change your world
Forgiveness is a miracle

An angel in a dream spoke into your darkest night
So you trusted in the Lord and you took her as your wife
But the forgiveness that you gave would be given back to you
Because you carried in your heart what she was holding in her womb

Love was in a crowded barn
There you were beside her kneeling
You held it in your arms
As the miracle started breathing

Forgiveness is the miracle
The miracle
And a miracle will change your world
Forgiveness is the miracle
Forgiveness is the miracle
The miracle
A miracle will save the world
Forgiveness is the miracle
Forgiveness is the miracle
Forgiveness is the miracle

Blessed Joseph
Your heart is proven
And through you the Kingdom has come
For God delights in a man of mercy
And has found an earthly father for his son

(St. Joseph: A Man of Mercy was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2019 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Go to Galilee

22 Monday Apr 2019

Posted by Jerry Robinson in Daily 100

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Do Not Be Afraid, Galilee, Jesus, Mt 28:8-10, Risen Lord

(A reflection on Mt 28:8-10)

As the two Marys rushed fearfully and joyfully to tell the disciples what they had seen and heard, they met Jesus on the way. Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me.”

After the intensity of Holy Week – the exhausting emotion of reflecting on Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection – I need to meet Jesus again. And soon. I need to go to Galilee. My Galilee is that place of solitude and silence, where I can spend time with Him in meditative prayer.

Where’s your Galilee?

GO THERE.