Once, when I gave a Scripture presentation to a group of adults, an elderly gentleman came up to me afterwards and said, “I don’t understand why God seems to be all over the place in the Old Testament but he’s nowhere to be found in the New Testament.” My guess is that he was referring to the dramatic theophanies of the OT such as the burning bush. I replied, “Oh, no, God is very present in the New Testament, but in a new way - through Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate divine intervention. And Jesus is truly present to us today in the Eucharist.” He smiled, scratched his head, and replied, “I don’t know. That’s kind of hard to swallow!”
I’m sure he meant that he was trying to comprehend how God’s presence is manifested differently in the NT than in the OT but his choice of wording was cleverly ironic: the presence of God in the Eucharist as being “hard to swallow.”
Perhaps, he is right, in a way. The presence of God is not always easy on us. Sometimes we need to take medicine that’s good for us but is not easy to swallow. (The other day, I tried drinking a V-8 on the advice of a doctor and could barely swallow it!).
On the one hand, the Eucharist is the Gift of Finest Wheat that satisfies the hungry heart. On the other hand, the Eucharist, the divine presence in our midst, calls us to change - and that’s not always easy. Sometimes, the Word of God is hard to swallow.
On this Feast of Corpus Christi - the Body and Blood of Christ - may we recognize that each time we receive the Eucharist, we swallow the Word of God. Whatever we swallow becomes absorbed into our bloodstream - our very being. May we absorb the Word of God, into the fiber of our being, especially when it is difficult to swallow.
I’ve run across a story in the last couple of days about a group of Salesian nuns in San Antonio who are praying for the Spurs in the NBA finals. It makes for a fun story but there’s a part of me that bristles.
My personal reaction is, “so what?”
Stories like this pop up every so often. In Chicago, they pop up whenever the Cubs or Bears are in the playoffs…which isn’t often!) The problem is, these stories suggest that nuns have a special connection to God that others do not have. I’m sure there are plumbers, contractors, teachers, bankers, engineers, and firefighters praying for the Spurs as well but there’s no story about them.
These stories also suggest that, through our prayers, we can influence God’s will. Are there not nuns in Cleveland praying for the Cavs? Is it a matter of which group of nuns prays harder? Will God listen to these prayers and decide? Do the nuns in Chicago not pray properly since the Cubs and Bears rarely win? What did I do wrong in 1969, 1984, and 2003 when I prayed for the Cubs to win only to watch them choke in the end?
I know, I’m making far too much of this, but sports stories often provide opportunities for talking about theological issues. Most kids pray for important events in their lives: exams, dates, volleyball games, basketball tournaments, etc. These make for good occasions to talk to kids (and adults, apparently) about what we really do believe about prayer.
Prayer is lifting our minds and hearts to God. When we pray, we do not do so in order to change God’s mind. Prayer changes us. When we ask God for things, it is our way of sharing with him our desires and then listening to God as he helps us order those desires according to his will.
If it is extremely important to us that a certain team win a certain game, then we should pray to God about it, not because that prayer will influence God to decide the outcome of the game in our favor, but to share with God a strong desire we have in hopes that, whatever happens, we may discover his will.
At the same time, I have no doubt that the power of prayer affects how people respond to situations. A sick person can heal faster because the power of prayer is strengthening them. A team can play at their highest level because the power of prayer is energizing them. But thinking that God chooses who wins and who loses based on those prayers is to trivialize both prayer and God.
Finally, back to the nuns. I hope my intro didn’t make it sound like I have something against nuns. I love nuns. “Some of my best friends are nuns!” It bothers me, however, when we put anyone - priests, nuns, brothers, deacons, lay ecclesial ministers - on a pedestal thinking that they have a special connection to God that others do not have. Through baptism, we ALL are members of the Body of Christ. We have different gifts but we are all united to Christ. Ultimately, nuns and priests are trying to teach us this very thing through their radical lifestyle. They are signs to us of what we ALL are called to. Unfortunately, too many people have concluded that nuns and priests are the ones who work at the “God stuff” for us while we are busy living life.
My bottom line? Let’s think about why we pray and what we really believe about the power of prayer. All prayer ultimately comes down to 4 words: “thy will be done.” And let’s honor priests and nuns for the sign value of their vocation but recognize that, in baptism, we are ALL called to the same intimacy with God that their lifestyle boldly proclaims. God is no less present in our living rooms, automobiles, offices, and factories than he is in that convent in San Antonio.
For more thoughts about nuns, visit the blog of my friend and colleague, Sr. Julie Vieira, who writes at A Nun’s Life.
I’ve created a new page (see the column on the right under “Pages”) where I am listing my speaking engagements. From time to time, people ask me if I’m going to be speaking somewhere. I thought this would be a good way to offer that information to folks. Most of these engagements are in the Chicago area although there are a few in other areas of the U.S. as well. Contact me if you have any questions.
I met with my DRE last night and it was an excellent opportunity for us to talk about the ministry of catechesis, the parish program, and my role in it. We reviewed the “ups and downs” of the year and evaluated what went well and what could get better. Most of all, I talked about what I see as us trying to do “too much” in the program. Sometimes I think we feel that we want these kids to have an experience of everything and so they get a little taste of everything but nothing in depth. I voiced my opinion that I would rather do a few things and do them well and in depth. Another 8th grade catechist was also present and we had a chance to discuss together the shape of next year’s program before praying together to end the evening. I am thankful to have a DRE who takes the time to listen to and offer feedback to her catechists and to pray with them. I am thankful to have this calling to share the Good News with young people and to be invited back next year to give it another try!
On Monday evening, I’ll be meeting with my DRE to talk about my role as a catechist for next year. I think it is a good practice for a DRE to have “interviews” with catechists each year. It is important for me, as a catechist, to know firsthand from the DRE what the vision of the program is and how God is calling me through the DRE’s leadership to serve that mission. It also gives me a chance to get some feedback from the DRE and to articulate any concerns or questions that I may have. Finally, it gives me an opportunity to know specifically what my role will be, what level I am teaching, and what materials I will be using. I look forward to this meeting and I’ll let you know what I learn from it on Tuesday morning.
