Frustrations and Disappointments

I often reflect upon how the Lord, when He called Father Abraham, simply instructed him, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Gen 12:1b). Notice that the Lord merely said, "Go." He didn't specify how far, or in which direction, or what lay at the end of the road. Such knowledge, then as now, was unnecessary. Faith, and trust in the Lord's providence, was essential. Not only that, but the Lord expects us to cooperate with His grace. Or, as the Chinese proverb goes, "The longest journey still requires the first step."

My own faith journey has taken some unexpected, and at times, disappointing and frustrating turns. This is especially true of my vocational discernment. Marriage or priesthood? Diocesan or religious? Marriage or priesthood (again)? Carmelite or Franciscan or Dominican? And, of course, there's the panic that ensues when one considers, what if it's "none of the above"!

In the midst of this anxiety, I hear a word from the Lord: "Someday, we will look back and laugh, and praise God for our disappointments and frustrations."

In other words, what we perceive today as disappointments and frustrations we may well understand tomorrow as blessings from the Lord. Abraham is a good example; how anxious he must have been when the Lord told him to uproot himself and his family and leave behind everything he had ever known! Of course, the other biblical model is Jesus himself. There is a temptation to read the Gospel accounts of Christ's death and resurrection as if everyone knew the end of the story. But, of course, they didn't. There was very real anxiety amongst the apostles that the mission had failed, that Jesus was another failed Messiah.

But then, that glorious morning when, against all expectations, they found the tomb empty! I rather imagine Jesus sitting there in the tomb, the burial cloths falling off His glorified body, and as He reflects on where He has been, and on the frustrations and disappointments He has known in His life, the Savior laughs.

For those troubled by frustrations and disappointments in their own faith journey (and isn't everybody?), I highly recommend Fr. Timothy Gallagher's excellent synthesis of Ignatian discernment, Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living.

Blessed John Paul "the Great"

Christus resurrexit, alleluia!

Well, Finals are finally over, and this blogger can finally take some time to rest (between blogging, of course, as well as work and studying Hebrew)! One of the greatest blessings--if not the greatest--since I last posted, is surely the beatification of Pope John Paul II, or as we are bound to call him now, "Blessed" John Paul!

While others had woken up at an ungodly hour for the Royal Wedding the day before, I slept in front of the TV, alarm set for 4:00 am, so as not to miss a moment of the blessed event. EWTN is fine, but for my money the best coverage was provided by NBC, which featured commentary from papal biographer George Weigel and the eminent theologian and evangelist, Father Robert Barron of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Word on Fire Ministries.

While I struggled to stay awake at that early hour, I did catch several key moments in the ceremony, held in St. Peter's Square to accommodate the 1.5 million pilgrims who flooded Rome for the historic event. After sleeping through my alarm, I awoke just in time to hear Pope Benedict read out--in Latin--the proclamation of beatification, which officially declared JP2 to be among the blessed in Heaven. The beautiful song, "Aprite le Porte a Cristo" ("Open the Door to Christ"), composed especially for the event, was sung, and the enormous tapestry of a smiling JP2 was unveiled. Meanwhile, a small phial of the late pontiff's blood, encased in a shining silver reliquary, was brought forward for the veneration of his successor.

All in all, the ceremony was breathtaking, as befits the man who is bound to be known as the most influential man of the century, not only within the household of the Church, but also in the wider world. His legacy, if I may thus summarize: The value of a human life is defined by nothing more or less than the love of God, and that this divine love is the grounding force of the universe, as well as the sure path to peace.

For those interested in the life and times of the Blessed, I highly recommend George Weigel's book, Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, as well as its sequel, The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II--The Victory of Freedom, the Last Days, the Legacy.

Blessed John Paul the Great, pray for us!