Deeper Prayer (Part 1)

Karl Rahner, a very influential Catholic German theologian of the 20th century wrote, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.” So how does a person become a mystic? Well our Catholic faith is already mystical but we can always work to be more fully plug into the mystery of God. The most important way is to change the way we pray (if needed).

Most Catholics were raised with a very “word heavy” and mind-focused experience of prayer. Meaning we were taught to pray with words (Our Fathers, Hail Marys, etc) and with our minds by asking God for things or talking to God in our head. Now neither of those are bad things but they usually lack the proper foundation: prayer is primarily a communing with God on the soul level. Any prayer that lacks a spiritual connection with God and remains in the mind is a less productive, less transformative, and less sanctifying prayer. The Saints teach us that the spiritual connection should be consciously chosen and entered into by the individual.

So how do we connect with God spirit to Spirit? The first step is to acknowledge   the presence of God at the beginning of each prayer in one of four ways: 1) Christ in us. 2) The Spirit of God all around us. 3) The Person of Jesus with us. 4) God the Father in Heaven aware of us and ready to provide for us. The next step is to invite God into communion with our soul. Sometimes the Saints even suggest sort of telling our soul, “Ok, soul, we are uniting with God now.” The next step and an important step to becoming a more contemplative Church is to be comfortable in silence. Contemplation is simply being in the presence of God without words or thoughts (yet focused on God). This is actually the deepest form of prayer there is because our souls and God are becoming one. This is how we are sanctified (made holy) through prayer although that process cannot necessarily be “felt.”

With Jesus,
Daniel Hoover

Deeper Prayer (part 2)

Deeper Prayer (Part 2)

In the first post on deeper prayer we examined how few Catholic were taught that prayer should be primarily a communion with God on a soul level. Prayer can affect our body and mind but must, at it’s core, enliven the spiritual part of who we are.

When prayer is a communing with God words are no longer the focus. The rosary, for example, is meant to help us be with and learn from Jesus, His mother, and the early church. This is done very little through the recitation of words and much more through using the gift of our imagination to place ourselves in the lives of Mary, Jesus, and the Saints where we learn how to imitate them.

Beyond meditative images it is also important to learn to pray in silence in the presence of God. As it is said, “God’s first language is silence; everything else is a poor translation.” We will be amazed how God speaks once we allow the space for it. That speaking happens through unexpectedly thoughts, reflections, memories, images, or inspirations. Sitting in this silence is especially helpful when there is something specific we are hoping for God to provide guidance on.

Another way to think about prayer is that there are people in the world considering suicide, enslaved to addiction, and who are mentally and physically suffering all of the world. On top of that the world is infect by the sin of greed, lust, hatred, violence, wrath, and pride. Jesus aches for those who are suffering and He suffers from all sins especially the most heinous. As friends of Christ a great gift that we can offer Him is to just be with Him in His suffering love for humanity and offer our struggles to help in whatever He sees fit. When we pray as companion’s of Christ and ache with Him for those who are suffering we aid in His ministry through our prayer. That prayer is used to move the Holy Spirit to enter the lives of those who are suffering, lost, confused, or misguided. When we pray well we serve others.

Blessings,
Daniel Hoover

Do You Love Me?

It was raining hard when I woke up this morning.  I ran with my briefcase to my car and drove to morning Mass.  I walked around the grounds of my church, with an umbrella from my back seat the rest of the morning.  After some meetings and work at my desk I walked to my car to leave but realized I could not go yet.  I wanted to feel some part of the heaviness of today, stand beneath the dark clouds.  I did not want to avoid the reality of suffering.  Opening the passenger door I placed my umbrella, briefcase, and paperwork in my car.  I walked through the wind, cold, and rain to the front doors of the church.  Standing there I knew that I would not stay long but I stop in the gathering space praying for God’s power to overcome the evil tragedy that brought these people here today.  I watched as the people dressed in black moved around me.  Then I saw a fellow minister of mine and her baby.  I walked to her and immediately took the child from her weary arms, she sighed, “Thank you” and put down the many bags she was carrying.  The baby boy squirmed in my arms for the next few minutes, putting his little hand through my beard, grabbing my lower lip, and staring at me with his wide eyes.  He was oblivious to the pain around him and he smiled with joy.

“I am going fishing” Peter said.  After everything that had happened and from all of the confusion and sorrow Peter wanted to do something easy, something he was comfortable with.  His father was a fisherman, his brother was a fisherman, he was a fisherman.  There was probably nothing more familiar to Peter than the simple combination of boats and nets.

They pulled in 153 large fish but Jesus was already sitting there with food on the fire.  He invited them over casually, “Bring some of the fish you just caught...Come have breakfast.”  As they sat there Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  He even addressed him as his old name, “Simon, son of John,” giving him the freedom to return to his old identity. “Do you love me more than these?”  He is talking about the fish.  153 large fish is a success.  It is a monetary and professional success.  “Do you love me more than these?”  Peter responded quickly,  “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus commanded, “Feed my lambs.”  Jesus asked him a second time and followed with, “Tend my sheep” and a third time, “Feed my sheep.”  

There are lambs and sheep that need feeding and tending.  There are people suffering, that is what Jesus is saying.  “CARE FOR MY PEOPLE! THEY ARE IN NEED!”  “Do you love me more than these?”  What does that mean?  It means do you love me enough to leave that which you are most comfortable with?  Do you love me enough to leave behind professional and financial success?  Because I already have food here waiting for you.  Use the gifts you would have used out there, “Bring some of the fish you just caught” but I’ll provide for you.  The meal is already on the fire, do not doubt God’s providence.  Peter is being called into ministry, which at its root means, "service."  Peter seems to be answering 'yes' to that call but what does that lead to?  “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’  He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.”  

If you love Me then you will tend to My flock and then you will be killed.  Ministry is service and martyrdom.  “Do you love me more than these?  Feed, tend, feed.”  We need more servants.  We need help serving His flock.  We need more devoted, faithful, prayerful, hopeful, joyful, loving, bold, and holy Christians.  “And when He had said this, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’”

To all of those in ministry, paid or unpaid, thank you.  Keep serving and keep choosing to love Jesus more than everything else.

Text quoted from 21st chapter of the Gospel of John.

More Than Our Demons

The story of the man possessed by the demon Legion is so strange that there is a temptation to avoid it because we assume it does not apply to us.  Let us instead inject ourselves into this story and see what truths it reveals about who we are.  Here is the story to refresh your memory.

Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea,

to the territory of the Gerasenes.

When he got out of the boat,

at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.

The man had been dwelling among the tombs,

and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.

In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains,

but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed,

and no one was strong enough to subdue him.

Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides

he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.

Catching sight of Jesus from a distance,

he ran up and prostrated himself before him,

crying out in a loud voice,

“What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

I adjure you by God, do not torment me!”

(He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”)

He asked him, “What is your name?”

He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.”

And he pleaded earnestly with him

not to drive them away from that territory.

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.

And they pleaded with him,

“Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”

And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine.

The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea,

where they were drowned.

The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town

and throughout the countryside.

And people came out to see what had happened.

As they approached Jesus,

they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion,

sitting there clothed and in his right mind.

And they were seized with fear.

Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened

to the possessed man and to the swine.

Then they began to beg him to leave their district.

As he was getting into the boat,

the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.

But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead,

“Go home to your family and announce to them 

all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.”

Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis

what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

We all possess and are oppressed by many demons. Those that we possess are vices that we have welcomed but those that oppress us we did not choose. 

This man, possessed and oppressed by Legion, is living among tombs, among the dead. Our souls too are surrounded by death when we let our demons run our lives. The things we watch on TV, the gossip we share, the way we spend our time on the internet, our activities on the weekend, and the resentment we hold are often lifeless company that we surround ourselves with.  These are activities of death. 

The man in this story could not be held by any chains or shackles and either can we.  Have you ever had someone try to change you?  Have you ever tried to change someone else?  Even someone that is hurting themselves (like this man was)?  It doesn’t work.  External circumstances and restrictions cannot change the heart of a person.  Anyone that has experience with addicts or addiction knows this is true.  Change can happen but it must be an interior journey that one chooses to travel.

Like this man we see Jesus in the distance but we must still choose to "run to Him."  Our demons however, cling to us.  They don't want to leave, like Legion, begging not to be tormented or sent away.  Our bad habits hang on to us. We try to live differently but they pull us back in. So we must put them into the swine.  What does that mean?  Swine represented one thing for Jews, they were unclean.  The first step in getting passed something evil is naming it evil, something that is unclean and undesirable.  We must to truly and deeply desire freedom from what is unholy.  As long as deep down we want our demons they will never leave.  We must run them off the cliff and drown them but that takes some energy.  We have to get some of the pigs into the sea by talking out our issues with trustworthy people.  We have to admit out loud, maybe in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the demons that we hold.  After we get those out they drowned and we feel more free. Maybe we have to write out our demons, journaling about our struggles and writing how we want to improve.  We must pray out our demons. Entering prayer like the battlefield that it is. Taking those demons head on and saying to Jesus, these are unclean, please purify me of them, run them out of me.  We get out our demons also by inviting into ourselves what they hate most, Jesus.  We must receive the Eucharist, which transforms us by removing our demons and replacing them with Jesus, Himself. 

Only after this man is freed from his demons is he ready to preach the Good News of Christianity.  How effective of an evangelist would this demon possessed man have been?  We must be freed first by Jesus, so that we can share the great things that God has done for us and wants to do for others. 

Lastly, we must realize that we reduce others and ourselves to the demons that we have and that is not fair.  The people of this town defined this man by his demons.  We never learn his name, did you notice that?  He is ALWAYS referred to as the man possessed, even after his freedom he is called “the man who had been possessed.”  We must never do this.  It is not right to define someone by their baggage, sexual past, weaknesses, addictions, pride, insecurity, or any other demon. Each person is created as good, sacred, and beautiful. It is the Devil that wants us to settle for the convenient answer of saying "Oh no, that brokenness is all they have, that is who they are."  Or “I’ll never be truly forgiven or freed of my demons.”  Those are lies.  Jesus gives this man the responsibility of sharing what God has done for him.  In that preaching this man takes back his identity.  Saying to his family and community, “Look what God has done for me.  I am not what it seemed that I had become.  I am myself, not simple a collection of my poor choices or bad circumstances.  I was a prisoner but now I am free.”  What a blessing to be able to proclaim with confidence who we are and the great things God has done for us. 

Health and Human Services

Catholics, beloved daughters and sons of God, who have been cleansed and reborn through the waters of Baptism, hear these words,

“Careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone.”

-Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 1968

My mother gave birth to me, she has nourished me, washed me, given me life, and she sustains me.  She does this not by her own faculties but these actions are done with her spouse with whom she is united.  Recently, my mother has been brutally attacked, an abuse that is not domestic because no abuse would ever come from her perfect and holy husband.  As a child I have been afraid and uncertain of how to defend she who loves me so perfectly in my imperfection.  Also, I have been too busy to feel that I could announce her abuse adequately and realizing that will not change, I hope to do so inadequately but hopefully not completely ineffectively. 

My mother loves all of her children but not only that she loves all people and believes in their potential.  My mother is filled with never ending hope. 

When the news comes that a woman is pregnant, she shares the news with her spouse and with excitement, fear, joy, and hope they prepare to fulfill their greatest calling.  They share the news with loved ones and ultrasound pictures of new life, while still present in the womb, are shared on Facebook and placed on refrigerators.  New life is the greatest joy a family can share and the most transformative experience they can go through. 

Somehow though, there are people who find out about a child and are not excited about it and so are allowed to call it "nothing", "refuse," "garbage," and "not life at all."  The hypocrisy induces a confusion that is nearly paralyzing.  Like I said, my mother, the Holy Catholic Church, as the Bride of Christ, loves all people, even the unborn.  She knows that the ending of a life that has begun and that did not exist before is murder. Publicly my mother has proclaimed her disagreement with the killing of unborn children for over 1,900 years.  In the Didache, believed to be written in or near the first century, Chapter two, labeled "Grave Sins Forbidden," it says, "you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born."  This document is believed be a recording of the first Bishop's teaching.  You can find this document here.  The new so called "health and human services mandate" forces my mother, the Catholic Church, and her children to pay for abortion inducing drugs.  In her bold gentleness I hear my mother say, "Even if you do not believe this is murder why would you ever want me to do it if I am so convicted that it is murder?  Why would you ever want to force someone to cause what they believe to be murder?" 

The Catholic Church is not against women's rights and that is simply and honestly not what this issue is about.  Dr. Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame, in his announcement that the University is suing the Obama administration wrote, "Let me say very clearly what this lawsuit is not about:  it is not about preventing women from having access to contraception, nor even about preventing the Government from providing such services....As we assert the right to follow our conscience, we respect their right to follow theirs.  And we believe that, if the Government wishes to provide such services, means are available that do not compel religious organizations to serve as its agents.  We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others; we simply ask that the Government not impose its values on the University when those values conflict with our religious teachings."  This issue is about religious freedom, which I believe all Americans support and would want to defend.  Anyone that argues that this is about another issue is projecting their agenda onto this issue or finding loose connections to their agenda that are not primary in regards to this issue.

Sadly, the HHS mandate has revealed something that is true about Catholics; we are grossly divided.  Our opponents see our division and say to my mother, "How can you try to stand tall when your children do not even stand with you?"  And their words bring to fulfillment the prophetic words of Pope Paul VI who proclaimed only 37 years ago, "The power of evangelization will find itself considerably diminished if those who proclaim the Gospel are divided among themselves (Evangelization in the Modern World, 77).  Divided we are, disgustingly so, but should we be surprised?  No.  Should we be concerned?  Absolutely.  As Fr. Joe Krupp explains, only 35 years or so after the Resurrected Christ had ascended His followers were dividing among themselves.  "I belong to Paul!”  “I belong to Apollos."  They fought in Corinth.  The Manicheans, the Gnostics, Maricion and his crew they all tried to take people away from the Church.  In their fallen-ness people have always been drawn to division but tell me the last time you met a Manichean?  Our mother stands strong, enduring because her Spouse, promised that she would and He cannot lie.  "The gates of hell shall not prevail against you! (Mt. 16:18)."  It took me 22 years of life to realize that my King would not say such a thing unless the gates of hell were going to try their damn best to prevail against His Church.

Now if people are not Catholic they cannot understand our allegiance and obedience to our mother but that should not be surprising.  If they understood us they would be with us.  The eyes of faith see clearly the glory of God, not in its fullness but ever-present throughout all of creation.  Pity those that do not see such glory, do not judge them. 

If so many of her children disagree with their mother we must examine why.  At least a part of the answer is that they do not talk to her anymore and that they do not listen well.  How many Catholics can attest that they have read the beautiful and poetic words that Paul VI poured himself into?  The words he was maybe most personally connected to as a work of the Spirit?  Humanae Vitae, a prophetic work written about contraception and human life.  Find it here.  How many, doubting Catholics can say that they have read these words with an open and humble heart?  I was for contraception before I read them.  How many Catholics that disagree with the Church about contraception have educated themselves with a truly open heart about why the Church disagrees with contraception and abortifacients?  It is a percentage of Catholics that is much smaller than the percentage that approves the use of contraceptives.  We act as a Church that does not listen and I think almost everyone is guilty.  Those Catholics that disagree with the Church proclaim it loudly and then do not return to our table.  Those Catholics that agree with the Church often dismiss anyone that disagrees and judges them for doing so.  One thing pride does is it makes us crave being right not for the sake of truth but for protecting our comfort.  Pride divorces our minds from listening to new perspectives.  As Catholics we have been, as my good friend and mentor (Fr. Joe Krupp) says, "Baptizing our opinions."  Meaning that we believe that what we think and say is holy and sacred and should be followed by others.  It is pride that makes someone think they know how to "fix" a 2,000 year old institution.  Trust your mother be patient with her.

Catholics, please I beg you let us be united.  We can disagree, that is normal and so very healthy but we must agree much more often than we disagree or we are having the wrong conversations.  What should we be talking about?  More important things.  God revealing and gifting God-self to us, is important.  That God is Love and is calling us into unity and transformation with Love, this is very important.  Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, greeting the stranger, and giving drink to the thirsty this is supremely important.  But let us admit these things are more difficult to discuss than politics.  As Catholics can we admit that we are more comfortable debating and arguing over who is right than bearing our hearts and souls about our experience of God and our struggles in faith?  We must stop labeling each other.  Calling another Catholic, "Conservative, Liberal, Progress, or Traditional" is not helpful, it is not productive, it is not edifying.  What we are doing is polarizing ourselves and the world and the Evil One see it and laugh.  We are Catholic, it means "Universal" those other labels do not belong.  We can disagree, that is ok but let us listen to each other, open to growth.  Let us all seek humility and the endless fruits that it brings.  Division is coming, let us be aware of it and stay close to our Mother.  I fear some Catholics are viewing the HHS mandate as, "Oh, that is an issue that fanatic Catholics are getting really worked up about."  Those that oppose the Catholic Church have been condescendingly acting like, "Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"  We can hear that enough times and start to think, "Yeah, maybe this is being blown out of proportion."  What they are using is a very tricky form of manipulation.  When someone that is uncomfortable with a topic is in conversation with someone that is passionate about the same topic they (the uncomfortable person) degrade the importance of the topic.  The goal is to make the passionate person feel silly and therefore back down.  It can be very convincing.

We however, will not back down but we must remain loving.  Active, bold but always loving.  It is Jesus who says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35).  As Christians we must be defined by sacrificial love.  Be kind to those that disagree with you, they will be so much more powerfully converted by your love than by your arguments.  Wash the feet of those that betray you, forgive those who spit on you, and pray for those who persecute you.  That is the beginning of what it means to live like Christ.  Pray for president Obama and not in a condescending, “You are so wrong, so I’ll pray for you” mindset but truly as the beautiful child of God that he is, pray for him.

Our mother is hated but she is beautiful.  Her children may lead you astray but she never will.  You want health?  Come to the Eucharistic table and you will receive healing Food from Heaven.  You want human service?  Talk to my mother she has served more bodies and souls than anyone else in the history of the world.  We, her children, serve and defend with her not because those who we serve are Catholics but because we are.

To end I will quote and repeat some chilling and prophetic words from Pope Paul VI written in 1968.

“Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.

Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.”

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

The Healing of the Paralytic

Tonight the Gospel of Luke chapter five was kind of presented to me unexpectedly.  Although, this is a story I (and probably you) have heard many times it stirred in me new thoughts tonight.  I invite you to read the story and possibly a little slower than you usually might.

Luke 5:17-26

One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was with him for healing.  And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence.  But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus.  When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?”  Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are you thinking in your hearts?   Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”  He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.  Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”

I would like to write what is known as exegesis on this story, which basically means an interpretation, deeper look, or creative application of Scripture.  It does not mean that the interpretation given is the only possible interpretation but simply one way to look at it.

A thought illumined in me about the paralytic himself.  I was struck for the first time thinking about the vulnerability of this man.  He had no strength.  He could not move.  He was suspended in air helplessly and in the middle of a crowed house.  We know that the room was full because the passage talks about how people had come from all over and we know that the friends could not even get through the crowd to present the man who was paralyzed to Jesus.  He was lowered “into the middle in front of Jesus” I imagined that moment and it shook me.  I imagined that the man lying on the floor, in the middle of the room moved, possibly the only part of his body that he could move, his eyes, and looked to Jesus for help.  This person is so vulnerable, his body is lifeless, and he is completely exposed in front of others and disposed in front of Jesus.  I imagined that look of desperation, and honestly, I longed to learn how to look to Jesus like that.  How can I completely surrender myself to my God?  How can I be more vulnerable?  How can I realize more fully that all of my strength and life comes from Jesus?  How am I called to present myself to Jesus in front of others?

Tonight I found myself viewing the friends of the paralytic differently after reading this story tonight.  I realized that these friends had to get creative about how they were going to bring this man into Jesus’ life but more important about how they were going to bring Jesus into this man’s life. They actually got extremely creative and even a little daring.  I mean lowering this guy from the roof?  That’s crazy!  What if, and this is not a joke, they dropped him?  What if their plan went terribly wrong?  Also, this must have been very distracting and disruptive.  The God of the Universe is trying to teach people and meanwhile some person's body is hovering six feet above His head.  It’s an insane portrait once we paint it with a little more detail.  What these friends are revealing to me, especially as a person in ministry, is that I have to be willing to be creative about how I am going to present people to Christ.  Along with that creativity I have to be willing to be bold, courageous, and maybe even daring.  I always have to be willing to take risks and be willing to fail knowing that if I do fail God will help me learn so much through it.  A common thing said to young adults in ministry (most of my friends) is that we cannot change something because the way it is being done is “how it always has been done.”  When we hear that we have to be willing to say, (maybe out loud, maybe just to ourselves) “Well going through the door was once how it had always been done and then some guys decided to come through the roof!”

Another motivating thing about the healing, is that it is not the bare minimum of a healing.  Sometimes we might hope that God will give us just enough to get by but that is not the case.  God loves us abundantly and provides for us so generously if we are willing to receive all of what He is offering. This paralyzed man did not simple wobble to his feet and barely have the ability to stand.  He went from being motionless to “He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.”  So not only can this gentlemen now stand, he can carry a mat that was big and sturdy enough to support a full grown man.  God does not long to make us a little bit stronger or a little bit holier.  God wants to take what is lifeless in our minds, bodies, and souls and give it great strength and vitality.  God wants to transform us in a way that is powerful, not in a way that is unimpressive, un-astonishing, or unimportant.  The key to that transformation happening is simply how we use our free will and if we are willing to surrender everything to God.

Something else that I have noticed in the past is that Jesus did not heal the paralytic at first, that apparently was not at all the most concerning thing for Him.  Jesus healed souls, He forgave sins. Jesus is God and if He thinks that healing the soul is primary compared to healing the body then HE IS RIGHT.  Our physical health and our physical world is not disconnected from the spiritual but we have in many ways disregarded the reality of our spiritual selves.  The bodies we have will die but our souls will never die.  We will receive our bodies again at the resurrection of the body but if we die before the end of time we will exist as simply a spiritual soul until the resurrection occurs.  A body has its health and a soul has its health.  We must be willing to care for our souls and the best way to do that is the reception of the Sacraments and prayer.  The Sacrament of Confession (aka Reconciliation or Penance) is labeled a healing sacrament because it heals our souls.  The wounds of our souls are discussed beautifully in Fr. Joe Krupp's October 23 homily at this site (no longer there but e-mail me if you want it).  

The last thing I noticed about this story is that it is unclear who’s sins Jesus has even forgiven.  The passage says, “When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”  The word “their” means that multiple people were forgiven of their sins.  It seems that by simply presenting someone else to Jesus these men are forgiven of their sins.  That is consoling as someone who has dedicated their life to such a task.

Mother's Day

Women, it seems obvious to me, were created as extremely compassionate, selfless, and nurturing beings.  A friend of mine and I were discussing his first child and he talked about how amazing it was to watch his wife interact with their son.  He said that it was a side of her that he had never seen yet it was shockingly natural for her.  She had this sense of how to nurture and care for the human they created.  She knew instinctively what their son needed.  My friend viewed this as a gift from God to his wife and he was excited to find out more intimately the gifts he had been given to be the best father he could be for his son.

God is very intentional and does not act carelessly.  The system of the mother carrying the child in her womb was not a mistake.  God entrusted His most precise creation to the care of women during that creation’s most delicate days.  Women should be honored and men should be impressed and thankful.

Marriage and parenthood is the best impersonation of God’s love.  A loving relationship produces life.  Love that exists manifests Itself into a new person.  From love comes life.  This is true for parents and this is true for God.  Parents create children out of love and God created everything that exist out of love for those who would enjoy it. Parents also reflect the love of God by pouring their lives out for their children, which is exactly what God, in the Divine Person of Jesus, did in His passion, death, and resurrection.  God is the model for sacrifice that parents hope to live up to.  Parents are also similar to God in the sense that their children get so used to them providing and caring for them that the children often forget to say ‘thanks.’  Let us all say thank you to our mother’s today and thank you to God in heaven for giving them to us and us to them.


Remember also the Church is the bride of Christ and the Church is our Mother.  We also have to allow God to nourish us through our Mother Church and the Sacraments He gives Her.

Here is a song specifically about the love of mothers: http://danielhoover.bandcamp.com/track/susan-marie

Happy Mother’s day to all of you beautiful mothers out there, especially my mother, Susan Marie and my sister, Chelsea Hoover.

Let us ask Mary, the Mother of God, to pray for us on this Mother's day.

A child of Love,

Daniel Hoover